Twisted
by Kyarorain
Summary: Felix loses his memory, which Alex takes advantage of, and he starts molding him into somebody very different.
1. Chapter 1

**Twisted**

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An early warning in advance: This is not one of my usual stories. In fact, this is going to be very disturbing and unsettling, so you may want to take care in reading future chapters. Fortunately, the disturbing stuff does not start just yet so you can begin reading this story without worry. However, as a fair warning, there is some violence. 

As a last note, I would like to add that Camelot owns Golden Sun and I do not claim to own anything at all.

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Alex crouched low by the tree where he could not be seen. His azure gaze rested upon the settlement of New Vale, watching villagers move back and forth as they proceeded with their daily activities. Only a year had passed since the destruction of the original Vale. How ironic was it that he had attempted to destroy it himself with an almighty storm, only for him to fail and Vale to destroy itself by sinking into the ground. 

Oh, yes. That was why he was here. Alex clenched a gloved fist and gritted his teeth together. He had been left on top of Mt. Aleph, almost killed, been injured so badly that even now he still had aches and bruises in his very bones. The Mercurian healing Psynergy alone had barely been enough to prevent him from bleeding to death.

The Wise One had cheated Alex out of his dream, given part of the power that Alex desired to Isaac himself. Alex should have become all-powerful and immortal, but that dream was forever lost. How he was meant to get his power from Isaac, he had no clue.

But that didn't mean that Alex could not exact his own, special revenge.

He could hardly summon a storm on Vale with the limited power he had, but he could still stir up a disturbance among the villagers. He was still more powerful than the average Adept. A low chuckle sounded from Alex's throat and he crept around the tree, one hand grazing the bark as he leaned against the tall, wooden structure.

Nobody had seen him yet. Who would expect to see a blue haired man skulking around the edge of the village at any rate? Well, the time had come that he was going to stop hiding and simply come out into the open.

It was time for Alex to exact his revenge.

Alex casually strolled into the village, immediately getting suspicious stares. He had not noticed Isaac or his friends around yet, but getting them down here should not be too hard.

"Excuse me, what business do you have here?" A young man approached him, a stern expression fixed upon his face. "If you are simply visiting, then may I suggest that you go to see the mayor before you do anything else?"

Alex exhaled deeply and turned to look at the slightly shorter man with a contemptuous stare. "I am afraid that what I am doing is none of your business." He promptly waved a hand, an ice spear appearing out of his palm, and slammed the deadly shard straight into the man's chest.

A shout went up into the air as somebody saw what was happening. The man looked at the crimson blood running down his shirt and choked, blood dribbling out of his mouth. He backed away, looking directly at Alex's chilling smile, then fell backwards with a gargled cry. He twitched once, twice, then he froze completely.

Other people stepped forwards, bravely brandishing their short swords, as they attempted to bring down the new enemy who had entrenched their domain. One or two of the Valeans ran in the other direction.

'Hopefully noting Isaac and his friends of my presence,' Alex smiled. 'After all, only a powerful group like them could possibly bring me down. Not that I will even give them the chance.'

Alex almost laughed as people fell at his feet. Why, these innocent victims, they were almost a disgrace to Adepts. They were weak and puny, their Psynergy undeveloped. What had happened to the Adepts of old, the strong, powerful race who protected the good from the bad and brought down those who used their powers for evil? Admittedly, there were less Adepts in this day and age. It really was quite a shame considering Alex liked a good opponent, but he should at least have a decent challenge when Isaac and the others arrived.

The rest of the Valeans were backing off now as it became apparent to them that the mysterious stranger was way out of their league. Alex smirked as he walked through the shocked crowds, casually stepping over the bloodied forms of the fallen as they struggled to crawl away to safety. Adepts with curative powers were already tending to the injured.

Alex brushed a strand of hair away from his face, wiping a smear of blood off his cheek in the process, and exhaled deeply. He casually wiped the blade of his sword over his trousers until the blood came away and stained the dark blue fabric. Alex held up the sword and examined it critically, admiring how it shone in the sunlight. How he would like to see this sword penetrate Isaac through the chest, to watch in malicious glee as Isaac bled in front of him and suffered a slow, agonising death.

Somebody had shouted Alex's name. The Imilian lowered the sword and peered into the distance, his smile growing wider as a group of eight people marched towards him. They had their weapons at the ready too, clearly they were very much in the mood for a battle. Well, that was exactly what Alex had come here for. He was going to spill blood today and he would not be shy about it.

Alex moved into a battle stance, ready to defend himself against whomever was the first to move. There would be no time for talking or questions, he really did hate questions and tried his best to avoid such trivialities. Why did people always have to be so curious? Alex was simply going to try his best to finish them all off and then get out of here with the sweet taste of victory upon his lips.

"Why are you here, Alex?" Isaac demanded, pointing his own sword directly at Alex's chest. Mia hung just behind him, her face a pale mask of shock as she stared intently at Alex. Alex briefly tried to read the expression in her eyes. There seemed to be some pain, anger, shock, the typical stuff he would expect from Mia. Clearly he was not back in her good books and neither did he actually even want to be. If it came to the point where Alex could slaughter them all with a stroke of his sword, Mia would be brought down along with her companions.

"Answer the damn question!" Garet shouted. Clearly, he was in a hurry to chop Alex up into tiny little pieces. Garet had always been the hot-headed one and clearly quite impatient. Alex briefly glanced at him, sizing him up. He recalled how Garet fought in that long ago battle against Saturos atop the Mercury Lighthouse. A slow opponent, yet his power and stamina made up for that. Garet was the type who went down still fighting.

"No, I will not answer the question," Alex said calmly, swinging his sword and stepping forwards. "Instead, I will watch you all die by my hand. Now is the time to suffer and feel the pain of losing."

The battle had commenced. Alex moved swiftly as various weapons danced around him, as he was surrounded by all the elements of Psynergy. He was much stronger with half of Alchemy and within minutes, Ivan had fallen unconscious as he slammed into a rock wall. Sheba turned to run to Ivan and Alex swiftly cast Geyser, causing Sheba to fly into the air screaming and land on top of the cliff above her fallen companion. A loud crack sounded through the air and Sheba groaned in pain, clutching one arm to her chest.

Alex found himself face to face with Mia. For a moment, the two were frozen in time and space as they looked into each others' faces and old childhood memories rose to the surface. However, those memories were quickly pushed away and they were enemies once more. Mia swung her mace with all the force she could muster, slamming it into Alex's chest. Alex quickly pushed the offending weapon away, merely wincing as bloodied spikes were forced out of his flesh. He yanked sharply and Mia gasped as she found herself almost suspended clear off the ground, her arms hanging onto the weapon above her head. Alex prepared to stab Mia clear through the chest, relishing the sight of fear in her eyes.

However, a flurry of flames meeting with Alex's back was enough to distract him that he dropped the mace and Mia quickly backed off, startled by her near death experience. Isaac rushed to her, making sure she was not harmed, as Alex turned to face Garet and Jenna. He darted forward and sliced at Garet's arm with his sword. Garet cried out in pain and clutched at his wound, blood leaking out from underneath his clenched hand. Jenna stood in front of Garet, aiming to defend him, and cast Serpent Fume in rapid succession. Alex brushed off the scalding heat of the flames and strode briskly up to her, knowing fully well she was not going to move away from Garet. He parried her sword with his and lashed out with a fist, catching Jenna on the chin. She flew backwards, her head hitting the ground with a hard smack. It had not knocked her out, but at least she was dazed.

Felix charged, anger blazing in his brown eyes. Alex stepped away from him, parrying each of his furious strokes of the sword. Felix stopped and started casting Psynergy. The ground underneath Alex began to shake and then it exploded underneath him and he was thrown upwards in a flurry of earth and pure Earth energy that threatened to rip him apart. This was a powerful attack and it told him in plain terms Venus Adepts were not meant to be messed with. Still, Alex had some advantages, no matter how unfair they might be.

Felix blinked in confusion as Alex warped out right in front of him. A warning shout from Piers told him that something was wrong, but as Alex smashed the block of ice into the back of his head, it was too late for him. Alex grinned as Felix fell to the ground, blood pouring profusely from his head and staining his dark hair crimson. His face was already taking on a ghastly pallor.

Piers and Mia immediately rushed to Felix's side to administer some healing. Jenna also rushed over, Garet following, but they hung back to allow the Mercurians to do their work. Alex chuckled in amusement and turned to see who was left. Ah, yes, Isaac was the only one left and he was staring at Alex with cold, unbridled fury in his eyes.

"So, Alex is nothing more than a coward who cheats in order to take his enemies down," Isaac's voice was hollow. "You are no warrior, no brave fighter, you are simply a violent, brutish monster out for blood."

"Yes, that is all I am now," Alex answered. "Cheated out of my dream without knowing until it was too late, spending months trapped in a rock prison while my entire body was in agony, it is amazing I have not lost my mind altogether. Yes, I am a raving monster out for blood, but I have enough honour not to hack you down while your friends are occupied or injured. However, I swear to this, one day I will kill you and bathe in your blood, Isaac." He turned around and walked towards the town gate. Nobody attempted to stop him as they all turned their attention to the fallen Venus Adept lying flat on the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Twisted**

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No warnings for this chapter. I will simply remind you that Camelot owns Golden Sun and again, I claim nothing, so that you may proceed with the story.

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Felix had still not yet regained consciousness by late afternoon. He lay on a bed in the sanctum, Mia or Piers keeping a constant vigil by his side. It seemed that Felix would make it, but they weren't going to take any chances until he had at least woken up. 

"He looks so peaceful," Sheba sighed as she smoothed Felix's messy bangs away from his face. He had regained some colour in his face now, a relief to everybody after having seem him turn so paper-white after Alex smashed the ice into his head. "He doesn't look like he just got bashed in the head by some crazy, bloodthirsty lunatic!" Her voice rose as she spoke emphatically of Alex and she hushed, throwing an apologetic glance at the startled Great Healer who stood behind the counter at the far end of the sanctum.

"Felix really is going to be okay, isn't he, Piers?" Jenna fretted, throwing yet another anxious glance at her brother. She had only left his side once to have some food when Isaac insisted, being so concerned after the intensity of the attack. She swore that the sound made of ice smacking against flesh and bone had been so loud, it was heard in Vault.

"I'm sure he's going to be fine, Jenna," Piers reached over and patted her hand. "Felix is out of the woods for the most part, we simply need to wait until he regains consciousness. How about you go outside and get some fresh air?"

"No," Jenna shook her head furiously. "I want to be here when he wakes up."

"Piers, don't you think he's taking a long time to wake up?" Sheba frowned, glancing over at the Lemurian.

Piers exhaled heavily and shook his head. It had been a constant barrage of questions from the two of them and while he was concerned about Felix too, it really was a bit much to have to answer one question after another. "After a blow like that, I'm really not surprised he's taking so long. Felix needs to recover from the trauma of having a block of ice smashed into his head."

"Damn Alex," Jenna muttered, her eyes stinging. "Why did he have to attack Felix from behind like that? That was cowardly and stupid! He could have..." She swallowed a lump in her throat and buried her head in the sheets. "Felix could have..."

"Hey, thinking like that won't do any good," Sheba put an arm around her shoulders consolingly. "Felix really is going to be okay, Jenna."

"He should be waking up any second now," Piers joined in, patting Jenna's red head of hair. "You're not going to cry, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Jenna sat up, blinking fiercely. "I'm just so mad at that damn Alex! He tries to take over the world, he attacks us out of the blue and doesn't give us a reason, then he just cheats and bashes Felix like that! Why did he do that?" She stopped to take in a deep breath and released a loud hiccup.

The doors to the sanctum opened and the trio looked up to see Isaac and Mia enter.

"No change yet, huh?" Isaac approached the bed and looked concernedly down at Felix. "This is terrible. I wish I'd been able to stop Alex."

"You didn't know what he was going to do," Mia protested. "It isn't your fault, Isaac."

"But..." Isaac broke off and closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head. There was no use in arguing about it or even trying to pin the blame on himself, it had already happened. At least Piers and Mia had been quick enough to save Felix's life. It was disturbing how quickly Alex had brought so many of them down, but they all escaped with their lives intact at any rate.

"Shall I relieve you now, Piers?" Mia asked, sitting next to him.

"I'm okay here," Piers smiled. "So long as there's someone to talk to. Still, the questions are getting a bit tiring." He spoke the last line as a hushed whisper so that Jenna and Sheba would not hear it.

"Well, they are very worried about him," Mia whispered back. "But it can be a bit off-putting when people seem to be doubting our healing abilities."

"What are you two muttering about?" Sheba shot a suspicious stare in their general direction.

"Um, nothing," Piers gulped. Invoking Jenna and Sheba's wrath was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Jenna was scary when she was angry and Sheba seemed to be just a little too fond of Spark Plasma. Too bad that spell alone wasn't enough to take Alex down otherwise they wouldn't be sitting here in the sanctum, anxiously waiting for Felix to wake up.

"Is Felix really going to be completely okay?" Isaac looked a little disturbed. "I mean, he was hit in the head. I've heard that head injuries can have some effects that go beyond a simple physical injury. You can heal those kind of things though, can't you?"

"Well, that's part of the reason why we are waiting for him to wake up," Mia replied mildly. "Yes, Isaac, you are right. We healed his head wound but it was a very heavy hit and it could have affected him mentally."

"What, he's going to be mentally unstable or something?" Jenna's voice rose as she looked at Mia in horror. "Like, crazy or something?"

"Well, not that kind of mental damage," Mia said quickly. "Don't panic, Jenna, we just have to wait. He might be completely fine and that's it. Nothing else to worry about. Okay?"

"Oh, gosh," Jenna shook her head wildly, her hair flying into her eyes. She angrily flicked it away. "I swear if I ever see Alex again, I am going to smash him to a pulp for what he did. I'm not going to show him any mercy either. None at all."

"We would all do the same, I'm sure," Mia smiled.

"Even you?" Piers raised an eyebrow. Mia was far from even mildly violent, in fact she preferred to heal but she would do her best and fight in battle.

"That jerk betrayed my people, didn't even apologise to me, tried to take over the world and then bashed him from behind," Mia gestured wildly at Felix. "He also tried to impale me on his sword. If anything, you'd have to drag me away from his battered corpse."

"Wow, Mia, that's unexpected coming from you," Sheba smirked. "But of course you'd want to beat the living daylights out of him after what he did. Still, we did have a pretty hard time even hitting him," The smirk vanished from her face and she looked down at her upturned palms, her expression now serious. "Alex was powerful. He sent Ivan and I flying, and broke my arm, he even cheated to take Felix down, he was quick to attack hence he was able to impair Garet temporarily and almost knock Jenna out, and he almost killed Mia."

"I was careless," Mia sighed and tugged on a strand of hair. "I guess I was taken aback and I reacted too slowly. It was a good thing that Garet and Jenna attacked when they did. It was horrible. I remember feeling so much fear, I swear, my life practically flashed in front of my eyes. I can't stop thinking about it. That look in his eyes, the smile, that sadistic glee. He seemed to enjoy seeing me so frightened. Alex is... he can scarcely be called human. He is a vile, despicable creature."

"Yes, Alex was very creepy," Isaac agreed. "And that last thing he said before he left, what he said to me, he told me he wanted to kill me and then bathe in my very own blood. How can someone say something like that?"

"He is insane," Jenna gritted her teeth. "Alex is a lunatic, a dangerous, deranged lunatic. He isn't who he used to be, not at all. The Alex that I knew, or at least I thought, he never seemed to be the kind to do such a thing."

"I never thought Alex would betray the Mercury Clan either," Mia smiled sadly. "He's just full of surprises, isn't he? It's one thing after another."

"Hey," Piers said suddenly, leaning forward and staring at Felix. "I think his eyes moved. He must be starting to wake up now."

"Oh, thank goodness," Jenna sighed in relief as she stood up and backed away from the bed, Sheba following suit. "I was getting really impatient."

"Here's hoping he's okay," Isaac swallowed nervously. He had a bad feeling for some reason that he just could not put his finger on, but it seemed to be connected to Felix somehow. "No mental problems or anything like that."

Mia scooted around to the other side of the bed so that she was standing opposite Piers and the two Mercurians watched intently as Felix began to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked, staring at the ceiling with a blank look in his eyes, before his gaze swiveled towards the people standing around him. There was something odd about his stare but nobody saw it just yet.

"Felix, are you okay?" Isaac inquired. "You're feeling better now, aren't you?"

Felix blinked and slowly propped himself up on his elbows, momentarily rubbing the back of his head. Evidently, he still had some kind of ache there or at least a painful bruise to remind him of Alex's cruel and brutal attack. "Um... I..."

"Are you feeling alright?" Piers pressed.

"I... I guess," Felix said slowly, deliberating over each word as if they sounded strange coming out of his mouth and he needed to get used to them.

"Well, that's a relief," Mia smiled and clapped her hands together. "So if you're okay, then..."

Jenna and Sheba rushed to Felix's side and both joined in hugging him tightly, Sheba going on about how worried she had been and Jenna basically telling him never to scare her like that again and scolding him for taking such a long time to wake up. However, Felix did not even smile or return the hugs, he simply continued to look a bit distant.

"Felix, what's the matter?" Isaac noticed his expression. "You don't look very happy. Actually, you look very confused."

"Uh oh," Piers said loudly, loudly enough for Jenna and Sheba to let go of Felix and look up at him in alarm.

"What's with that loud 'Uh oh' thing?" Sheba narrowed her eyes. "Spill it, Piers."

"Felix, um... what are our names?" Mia crouched in front of Felix, staring into his blank, disturbed eyes.

"I... I don't know," Felix admitted. "I don't know who any of you are."

"What?" Jenna clenched her fists. Sheba gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" The female Mars Adept demanded. "What did he mean by that? How could Felix not know who we are?"

"Jenna," Piers said calmly. "We did say that Felix might have suffered mental damage. It seems that we were right after all."

"No..." Jenna shook her head slowly, her face paling. "What do you mean? He can't be..."

"Felix's got amnesia, Jenna," Isaac told her the plain truth in blunt terms. "He's lost his memory."

That was all too much for Jenna as she suddenly burst into shocked tears. Isaac quickly moved to put his arm around her as an offer of consolation. Jenna put her head on his shoulder and cried loudly. Sheba threw an agonised glance at Felix, pained by the confusion in his expression. None of his usual emotions were there, he was simply blank like a slate wiped clean.


	3. Chapter 3

**Twisted**

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Disturbing stuff kinda starts here. You have been warned. And the end of this chapter should give you clues to the plot of the story onwards.

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The sun had barely started to rise, the lightening sky still tinged with a pinkish glow. A bird started to wake up, blearily shaking its head and then fluffing up its feathers. It hopped out of the nest and ambled along the branch, releasing a loud trill. It had not noticed the two figures sitting at the bottom of the tree, a blanket underneath them protecting them from the morning dew on the grass. 

Garet released a massive yawn and stretched his limbs, careful not to disrupt Jenna who was leaning against him. He didn't normally go for watching sunrises, usually sleeping in until late morning, but Jenna had been pretty upset lately so he had to make some sacrifices to try and help her feel better.

"You don't have to do this for me," Jenna looked up at him, a faint smile on her face. "I'm fine out here by myself, really."

"No, I want to do this," Garet insisted. "I love watching sunsets. Really." Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Well, sometimes... I mean, it's pretty annoying how the sun rises so early, isn't it? The morning really would be much better all dark then we could sit there in the afternoon watching the sun come up."

Jenna giggled lightly, looking away with a wide smile on her face as she looked at the sun peeping just over the horizon.

"What's so funny?" Garet gave her a perplexed stare. However, she didn't respond, she merely shook her head and shrugged. "Um, there hasn't been any change in Felix yet, has there? No memories back or anything?"

"No," Jenna sighed, her smile disappearing at once. "We've tried to get through to him, I've tried talking to him, but he doesn't respond to anything. He's just so quiet lately, looking lost and just sitting there, staring at everything. It's so depressing to see him like that, just like an empty shell. Even worse, nobody has any idea how long it will take for his memory to come back."

"Well, I'm sure Felix will get his memory back eventually," Garet said consolingly. "Amnesia doesn't last that long, does it?"

"I don't know," Jenna let out a sarcastic, bitter chuckle. "I don't think anybody can predict how long it lasts. Why did this have to happen, Garet? We were settled, we were happy, things were back to normal at last, then Alex had to come along and screw everything up. Who knows when that jerk is going to return? Now we have to worry about him coming back and actually finishing us all off!"

"Alex only managed to get Felix like that because he cheated," Garet reasoned. "We're not going to get finished off that easily. I swear if Alex returns, he's going to be dead so fast he won't know what hit him. Be optimistic, Jenna."

"Screw that," Jenna hissed. "I don't feel like being optimistic. I've never been any good at that."

"But, Jenna..." Garet protested.

"I don't feel like talking anymore," Jenna jumped to her feet and walked away, leaving Garet alone by the tree.

"I'm no good at talking to people, am I?" Garet muttered, kicking a stray rock in annoyance.

Jenna walked slowly towards her house, deliberating with each step. She didn't like it so much in the house right now, the atmosphere was thick and suffocating. Felix was sitting around like some kind of mannequin and he hardly ever left the house, their parents were being overbearing and protective and making a fuss of their firstborn. Jenna felt ignored and lonely, having nobody to talk to, and even though Felix was there, it wasn't really him inside and she was missing him terribly.

A bird was singing again. Jenna glanced around furiously at the treetops as if seeking out the offending bird. Why was it that birdsong always sounded so annoyingly happy and cheerful? Did birds never even get sad enough to let out a mournful warble once in a while? Where they always so happy that they had to chirp like the entire world was happy too and actually wanted to listen to them? Jenna gritted her teeth and stormed towards the house, trying her best to ignore the annoying birds.

Jenna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She listened, hearing the voices of her parents, and walked into the kitchen where she found them having an early breakfast of toast with preserves. She wasn't feeling hungry, but her parents would worry if she went without eating and she hardly wanted to add to their troubles so she sat down at the table and grabbed for a piece of toast and some butter and marmalade.

"How are you holding up, dear?" Her mother inquired, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. Normally she wore it up, but now it hung around her face in a mess of wavy hair and made her complexion look paler. There were shadows under her eyes, signifying her lack of sleep.

"Eh, I'm coping," Jenna bit into the toast and chewed vigorously, wiping a glob of marmalade from her mouth. "I'm worried about Felix, but worrying so much all the time isn't going to do much good. I just wish he would at least start recovering his memory. Is he still in his room?"

"Yes," Her father responded heavily, massaging his brow. "He hardly ever comes out of there. I think he just sits on his bed and stares at the walls, waiting for his memory to return. I don't think it's good for him. Felix should be getting out and about, maybe that would help jog his memory."

"But what if he gets lost?" Jenna's mother protested. "Why, he might even decide it's a good idea to walk out of the village and then he'll be walking around all by himself. What if he ended up in Lunpa, surrounded by those terrible thieves?"

Jenna silently ate the rest of her toast, listening to her parents debate on what was best for Felix in his current state. She didn't care what was best for him, she just wanted him to get his memory back right now, but shouting at him or something along those lines was hardly going to work. All they could do was wait, and that was one of Jenna's least favourite activities.

Each day was agonisingly slow and just painful to get through. Today was no exception. She would sit down with a book, try to read, get through one page and then just give up in disgust when it seemed like reading each page took five minutes. Then she would probably walk, but it was infuriating how people kept stopping her, huge smiles fixed on their faces as they inquired about Felix. Her answer was always the same, spoke in a deadpan voice. "No change."

No change. No change at all. It was maddening and even more frustrating that she was powerless to do anything about it. Why did people have to keep bothering her about it? Surely they knew that Felix's memory wasn't just going to snap back any second? What if it took months to return?

This thought kept occurring to Jenna, no matter how hard she tried to keep it away. Over lunch, she was swept over by such overwhelming sadness at the idea of Felix being like a statue for years that she had to excuse herself from the table before her tears spilled over into her soup. Jenna sat down on the floor just outside the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her legs, crying silently with her face pressed against her knees.

In the afternoon, Sheba came over and Jenna was somewhat relieved to have someone else to talk to in the house for a while. They sat in Jenna's room, Jenna lying on the bed and Sheba propping herself up on the side with her arms, resting her chin on the mattress.

"Felix is really different without his memory," Sheba commented, her eyes dulled over with sadness. "He doesn't even talk much at all, he just stares a lot and looks like he's lost. Felix is lost, isn't he? Where did his memory go? It's like it sucked out his soul along with it, leaving behind an empty person with no personality, no spirit, nothing."

"I miss him so much," Jenna rolled over a little, shifting her arm so that it was now under her head. "You performed Mind Read on him, right, Sheba?"

"Yeah, I've tried a few times," Sheba answered. "But each time I've done it, all I find is some kind of bleak emptiness. There are thoughts, but they are very simple, basic thoughts. Nothing to suggest he remembers a thing. I keep feeling a chill when I look into his mind. It's horrible."

"Yes. Everything's just horrible," Jenna exhaled deeply. "All this stupid stuff. It's all Alex's fault. Why couldn't he leave us alone? What reason did he have for picking on us? Why so suddenly, so out of the blue?"

"I don't think anything can explain Alex's behaviour," Sheba murmured. "He's crazy. Completely crazy."

Now it was the evening, Jenna was alone in her room and she stood at the windowsill, propping herself up on her elbows. She stared up into the dark night sky, trying to spot constellations in that mess of stars. However, they kept blurring the harder she looked and she gave up. She was too upset and fatigued to be looking at stars this late.

Jenna walked across the room and stopped in the middle to start removing her garments. Her cape fell to the floor first, followed by her thick leather vest. Her boots were kicked off and sent flying to rest across the wall with a soft thud.

Felix walked quietly across the corridor, sipping from a glass of cold water. He had been taught how to get water and he was thirsty, so he had known to get it when he felt like this. One of the doors in the hallway was partially open and he stopped to look into the room, curious to see what was going on inside.

A red-haired girl was standing in the middle of the room, clad only in her underwear with her clothes strewn around her. He didn't recognise her, just like he recognised nobody else, but he faintly remember someone calling her his sister, whatever a sister was supposed to be. He leaned closer to the door for a better look, piqued by the sight of her removing that cloth thing around her chest. Her plump breasts bounced free as they were removed from their bonding and his eyes widened.

Felix was not sure what he felt as he watched her, but he did not feel repulsed nor did he feel bad about what he was doing. He saw nothing wrong with watching her unknowingly expose her body. Suddenly, a hand clamped around his mouth and he was pulled back, disappearing in a swirl of sparkles.

Jenna saw the sparkles out the corner of her eye and she frowned, looking at the door. There did not seem to be anything there. She realised she had left the door open and blushed, hurrying to close it. Did she not even have enough decency anymore to close the door before she changed?

Felix next found himself back in his room, stumbling back in surprise and landing on his bed. Water spilled out of the cup and splashed onto the floor. He looked up in consternation at a blue-haired man, his eyes cold like ice.

"So you lost your memory," Alex sat next to him and smiled. Felix merely nodded. "I see. You're not one of many words and in this state, you don't even view me as a threat." The younger man shook his head. "So, tell me, did you not feel bad for peeping on your sister?"

"Is it wrong to peep?" Felix asked, his eyes bright with curious innocence.

"That does not matter," Alex ran his tongue over his lips. "What matters is how you felt. Did you think that she was pretty for example? Beautiful, even?"

"I suppose so."

"Did you feel... attracted to her?"

"I..."

"Listen. If anybody tells you it's wrong to be attracted to her, ignore them," Alex smiled menacingly. "After all, you're hardly her brother right now. You wouldn't have peeped like that if you were yourself. You aren't yourself, therefore it's alright to feel what you like, even do whatever you want. Would you like me to help you?"

"Okay..."

"Listen closely," Alex leaned in and he began to murmur into Felix's ear, telling him all kinds of things that many would consider inappropriate, sinful even, and with those words, Alex started destroying the innocence of someone without their memory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Twisted**

* * *

Well, I'm glad to see I'm getting a good reception so far. A mildly disturbing scene here, but it is really just a very brief kiss and right at the beginning, so other than a possibly nasty mental image, there's nothing here to make you feel nauseous.

* * *

Jenna awoke from a dreamless sleep, feeling disturbed for reasons unknown. She huffed in annoyance and sat up, pushing aside the rumpled bedcovers and rubbing her tired eyes. Jenna looked blearily at the curtains on her window, seeing a chink of daylight peeping through. It was morning already yet she felt like she had been asleep for mere minutes. 

Jenna marched over to her dresser and snatched up her brush, running it through her tangled red tresses, before tying her hair back in the usual ponytail. She bustled around the room, rifling through her wardrobe for a clean outfit and got dressed quickly. The quicker she got out of this stifling house, the better. Maybe she wouldn't get asked so many stupid questions today, so long as she avoided about half of the people of Vale.

Once finished, Jenna stepped out of her room and closed the door quietly behind her. With a start, she realised somebody else was standing in the hallway, watching her and not making a sound. Jenna realised it was Felix and relaxed, a little perturbed to see him just standing there and watching her so quietly. He had probably got tired of his room. She smiled nervously and made as if to walk past, not really feeling like talking to him when he was simply just not going to respond.

Suddenly, Felix reached out and grabbed her arm. Jenna was taken aback as he stepped in front of her, almost pushing her against the wall. Still holding onto her, he proceeded to do one of the last things Jenna would have expected from him, especially in that quiet, unresponsive state caused by the amnesia.

He leaned in and kissed her right on the lips. Even worse, he held them there for more than a second, as if he meant this to be a long and lingering kiss.

Jenna's eyes widened in shock and her entire face flooded red. She yanked her arm away and pushed Felix off with a loud cry, backing away in alarm. Felix simply stared at her as she gasped and heaved, his face registering no emotion whatsoever. He didn't even appear to care that he had just distressed her by his actions.

"Felix," Jenna let out a nervous laugh, continuing to step backwards. She shook her head wildly, trying to register what had just happened. Felix had kissed her. He had amnesia, he couldn't possibly known what he was doing, but he had kissed her. It didn't even feel like a family kiss, she was pretty sure they had never kissed like that even when they were children. "Um, you really shouldn't mess around like that, you kinda scared me. Please don't ever do that again." She turned and ran off, her feet stampeding over the floor in a succession of loud thuds.

"Very nice," Alex spoke from behind Felix a few seconds later, a look of approval on his face. "You've unsettled her somewhat. Just a little more work and my plan should work out nicely." Felix turned around and stared at him. "It will be really simple. This cannot fail."

Jenna felt hot and breathless as she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She walked around aimlessly in a daze, feeling very flustered about what had happened. Surely it hadn't meant anything, surely it had just been an innocent kiss and he just forgot how he was supposed to kiss a family member. Yeah, that was it, maybe he just forgot. So why was it bothering her so much? She shouldn't be this disturbed about such a little thing, not at all.

"Hey, Jenna!" A call snapped her out of her reverie and she looked up to see Garet heading her way. "You okay? You looked pretty spaced out for a moment there."

"Oh, I'm fine," Jenna bit her lip as she considered asking Garet about what had happened. Maybe she just wouldn't tell him exactly what had happened, he might end up going to bash the living daylights out of her brother and she hardly wanted that, considering that without his memory, he was scarcely responsible for his actions. "Um, you know how your family kiss each other?"

"Er... I suppose..." Garet looked at her doubtfully. "I don't really like kisses though, they are kind of yucky."

"You never kiss on the lips?" Jenna asked daringly. She wasn't sure why she wanted to quiz someone like Garet about this issue, but it was better than bottling it up, wasn't it?

"Mom and Dad kiss each other on the lips but... well, what do you mean?" Garet looked confused and disturbed. "My grandmother still tries to kiss me on the lips, I'm always trying to dodge her but she keeps doing it anyway. But nobody else does, except my mom used to. Is it a big deal?"

"So you wouldn't kiss your sister on the lips for three seconds?" Jenna asked again. Garet immediately looked like he wanted to puke. "Yeah, I thought so."

"What's gotten into you, Jenna?" Garet exclaimed, once he had got over the effect of Jenna's disturbing questions. "Why are you asking things like that? Can't you just ask what my favourite flavour of ice cream is or something?"

"Hi, guys," Isaac greeted as he came walking up to them. He immediately noticed that Jenna was looking upset. "What's wrong, Jenna?"

"It's probably nothing to be so upset about," Jenna rubbed her arms and shivered. "But something really weird happened to me this morning. I left my room and Felix was standing in the hallway. He still hasn't got any memories back and I was a little surprised to see him out of his room. It was like he had been waiting for me out there and I don't know why." She paused, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

"And?" Garet pressed. Isaac glared at Garet in annoyance before smacking his arm. Garet winced, immediately feeling ashamed when he realised his error. "Ow. Sorry. Take your time, Jenna."

"Well, I tried to walk past him, I don't really like talking to him in his state right now because he's so silent and never responds and it just isn't the same," Jenna continued, a chill traveling along her spine as she retold her story. "But then Felix grabbed me by the arm and stopped me. He then sort of pushed me to the wall, but he didn't press me against it or anything, and then..."

Isaac and Garet looked at each other in consternation while Jenna paused again and fought the tears threatening to spill out. They sensed that something was coming up in this tale that they were not going to be particularly pleased to hear about. Jenna swallowed the lump in her throat and regained her composure, clearing her throat to draw their attention back to her.

"Sorry, it's kind of hard to get out," Jenna shook her head. "Then... Felix, he... he kissed me right on the lips. For more than a second. He was just holding me there and kissing me as if he wanted to do it for a long time, but I stopped him, I pushed him off, told him never to do that again and then I ran off. I just don't get why he would kiss me like that."

"He kissed you?" Isaac's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend the meaning of what Jenna had just said. "That's... I can't believe he did that."

"You should have hit him or thrown fire at him," Garet looked angry and his fists were clenched tightly. "That would have taught him a lesson."

"No, I can't hurt him!" Jenna exclaimed, throwing an injured look at Garet. "Felix's innocent, I know he is. He's lost his memory, he's all confused, he doesn't even remember who I am. He doesn't remember any of us. He probably didn't realise the significance of a long kiss either, he's just forgotten everything. Don't hurt him. Please."

"Relax, Jenna," Isaac put his hands on her shoulders and she looked up into his eyes, gasping heavily. She had begun to cry now. "None of us are going to hurt Felix. You told him not to do it again and I'm sure he's listened to you. You're right, Felix is not directly responsible for his actions the way he is and he doesn't deserve any punishment."

"Well, he had bloody well better not touch Jenna again," Garet fumed, his eyes blazing with fury. "How sick and twisted is that? Kissing his sister!"

"He doesn't even remember I'm his sister!" Jenna yelled hysterically at Garet. "He probably doesn't even realise what a sister is!"

"Calm down," Isaac felt Jenna's pulse thudding rapidly through her body. "It's no use getting all worked up like that. Garet, stop badmouthing Felix like that, can't you tell you're upsetting her?" Jenna sobbed and fell against him. Isaac patted her back to comfort her.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Garet looked down at his feet. "I didn't mean to upset you, Jenna. I was just pretty angry to hear about what he did. I swear I won't touch Felix, besides I think Isaac would kick my butt if I tried to. You would, right? Yeah, I'll just go now before I cause any more trouble." He sighed and walked away, kicking up the earth with his feet as he dragged them.

"Thanks for making me feel better," Jenna stepped back, brushing the tears from her face. "And I'm glad you're not going to beat Felix up or anything. You're right, there's no way he'll touch me again."

"And I really hope I'm right," Isaac smiled. "I do wish Felix would hurry up and recover his memory, we're really missing him what with him just sitting in that house all the time and not doing anything. Have you really not spoken to him much at all?"

"Heh, not really," Jenna shook her head, smiling back. "Trying to get anything out of him is like trying to get blood out of a stone. He just won't do anything. It's kind of depressing seeing him like that so I suppose I've been avoiding him a bit."

"Well, he's avoiding us in the first place so it's his fault," Isaac tilted his head and shrugged. "Well, I've got to go do some chores Mom asked me to do. You're going to be okay by yourself, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jenna waved him away. "Don't worry about me." She watched him walk away and then turned around, walking off in the opposite direction of Isaac. Jenna felt a little better now after her chat with Isaac and maybe she had blown the scene out of proportion. It had just been so disturbing and unexpected that it simply unsettled her. It was never going to happen again, she was sure of it.

Jenna spotted Sheba sitting by the river, dipping her feet in the water, and she hurried off to join her friend, feeling a little more upbeat for the first time since that disturbing scenario.


	5. Chapter 5

**Twisted**

* * *

It gets a bit worse in this chapter. No fear, there's only a very, very tiny mildly sexual part, namely fondling of upper body parts, and that is about as bad as it gets. Also a little violence.

* * *

Felix sat on the end of the bed, Alex kneeling behind him. His azure hair tickled the back of Felix's neck as he spoke softly into his ear. Alex loved how obediently Felix was, how he hung onto his every word. He was like a faithful puppydog, willing to do Alex's bidding no matter what it involved. All Alex had to do was suggest an action and Felix would do it. He didn't ask why he should do it, what Alex was hoping to gain, none of the questions he would have asked had it not been for his amnesia. 

It was a warm evening night and the heat was making it difficult to sleep. Alex had seen an opportunity. Only three people were even awake in this house right now, Felix's parents fast asleep in bed, and Alex felt that if they caught wind of what was going on, things would get messier and even more out of control. Jenna hardly seemed like the type of person who would burden her parents with the knowledge of what was happening, making it even easier.

"Jenna's not even sleeping right now," Alex smiled, idly playing with the end of Felix's ponytail and trailing it through his gloved fingers. "She's just walking around her bedroom or lying on her bed and cursing the heat. She is wearing a very beautiful nightgown as well, a green silk one. I do think that green goes pretty nicely with Jenna's hair, don't you?"

"She has nice hair," Felix responded, staring at his bare feet. Really, there was nothing interesting in this room to look at. He felt bored, but he didn't want to leave the house because he didn't remember anything and he could get lost. So he just sat there thinking of nothing. Alex told him to think about Jenna, so he did that sometimes. He liked talking to Alex as well, Alex seemed like someone he could call a... what was it again? Oh, yes, a friend. Alex was his friend.

"Yes, that's the spirit," Alex smirked. Felix was playing into his hands so well, it made him swell up with pride. He had considered himself good at manipulating and using people, but this was something else on a grand scale and it was far more enjoyable. Indeed, it was going to be much more rewarding. He could hardly be cheated out of his aim, or at least, that's what he thought. "Jenna is certainly an attractive girl."

"Yeah," Felix responded, nodding eagerly.

"Now, do you remember how she responded to your kiss this morning?" Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt warm through his thin cotton pajamas and his shoulder was firm and well defined.

"I do," Felix replied, his head bobbing up and down. "I kissed her just how you told me to, for longer than a second, but she did not like it very much. She pushed me away and told me that I should not mess around. I should also never kiss her like that again."

"Well, you must not listen to Jenna because she is a very silly girl," Alex spoke slowly and deliberately, drawing out the syllables of the last three words in order to get his point across. "You are going to kiss her again, Felix, and it most definitely is not messing around, is it?"

"No," Felix shook his head. "I was not trying to mess around. I was simply doing what you told me to."

"Now, when you kiss her again, Jenna will try to push you away again of course," Alex continued. "Now listen carefully, this is the important part. When Jenna tries to push you away, you must not let her do that. Grab her arms and hold them, or wrap your arms around her body so she cannot push you off. That way you can kiss her for as long as you like no matter how hard she resists. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, I have to stop her from pushing me away," Felix nodded, understanding what Alex wanted. "I can do that."

"I knew you could," Alex patted Felix's shoulder. "Okay, I told you that Jenna was in her bedroom. I want you to go into Jenna's bedroom and start kissing her again, while restraining her. Don't overdo it, she may get scared and scream, so perhaps a few seconds, nothing more. Go on. Come back when you're done and tell me how it went."

Felix got up without a sound and left the room. He walked quietly across the hallway and pushed open the door to Jenna's bedroom. Jenna was sitting on the bed, playing idly with her hair, a look of annoyance on her face. She jumped to her feet when she heard somebody come in. He immediately noticed how full and curvy her figure looked in that gown. Alex was right when he said it was a beautiful nightgown and it did go nicely with her hair.

"Um, Felix, why are you in my room?" Jenna raised an eyebrow as she watched her brother step towards her. "Felix, what are you doing? Back off right now, I mean it."

Felix did not answer her questions, he didn't really like talking to anyone because all these strange people scared him a little but he was okay with talking to Alex, and anyway Alex started talking to him first so ignoring Alex would have been rude. Instead, he did as Alex said and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in so that he could kiss her.

Jenna almost squealed as she felt his lips against hers and tried to beat against his chest, but he quickly grabbed her arms and pinned them to her side before wrapping his arms around her tightly. Her eyes prickled with tears as she realised that this was no game. Felix was deliberately forcing himself on her. But why was he doing such a thing? She wanted to scream, cry, throw up in disgust at the feeling of him kissing her. Her mind flooded with panicky feelings and she felt a chill of fear running down her spine.

Felix abruptly left her go and turned around, leaving the room. Jenna shakily walked towards the bed, swaying as she moved, and then she fell down onto the bed and buried her face into the duvet. Her tears ran down her cheeks, leaving warm, wet trails and becoming nothing more than damp patches upon the bedcovers. Jenna balled her fist and shoved it in her mouth so that she would not cry out loud. Her entire body convulsed and she occasionally let out a quiet, choked sob.

She was frightened more than ever now. Horrified, scared, confused by his actions.

What was he doing? Why? How could he even be thinking of treating her in this way?

"You did good," Alex praised Felix when he had returned and informed him of what happened. "However, this is just the beginning. Things will be getting much worse for Jenna." He chuckled to himself.

"If you say so," Felix responded blankly. He saw nothing wrong with Alex's behaviour nor the things that he was saying. Felix was trusting him and he didn't care what his friend said, it all had to be good.

And Alex was right. With all the cunning he had, he manipulated Felix into hurting Jenna even more. It got to the point where over the course of a week he had forced himself on her each day. Alex was careful to ensure that Felix never did anything more than kissing her, that was all that was required to drive Jenna into desperation and despair. Anything more was certainly below him and for that matter, overkill.

"You don't like it when she struggles against you, do you?" Alex said one day, putting his face very close to Felix's so that his warm breath melted upon Felix's pale skin.

"No, I don't," Felix replied, briskly shaking his head. "Sometimes she hits me and it hurts."

"You don't hit her back, do you?"

"No. Should I?"

"Yes, you should. However, you should never strike her on the face. You could bruise her and it would show, then everybody would realise what was going on. We have been very lucky that Jenna doesn't want to tell anybody. Don't hold back, Felix. She hits you or struggles, you just hit her right back."

Felix pinned Jenna against the wall, holding her arms flat against the surface as he desperately kissed her. Jenna let out a frustrated cry of anger and managed to slam her foot directly into his chest. He stopped for a moment, temporarily winded, then he did something else that she had not expected. He retaliated and slammed his fist into her stomach. Jenna doubled over and fell to the ground, wheezing and sobbing.

Felix flipped her onto her back and kissed her again, running his lips along her skin and down to her collarbone, while he fondled one breast with her hand, as Alex had suggested he should do once. He then stopped and got up, walking away and leaving her alone.

"I want my brother..." Jenna sobbed. "I want him back... Felix... come back... please..." She kneeled over, pressing her forehead into the floor and curled up, wrapping her arms and legs around herself while she cried out her grief.

As the terror continued, she was sure she was drifting slowly into madness. Nothing was making sense anymore. Her brother, without his memory, suddenly forcing himself on her and now he had begun hurting her. It was more than she could cope with, but she couldn't tell anybody. She just had to keep it all bottled up inside her and pray this ordeal would stop.

As for Alex, he was certainly not eager for the ordeal to stop anytime soon. In fact, he enjoyed watching how it played out and always made sure to encourage Felix to be as cruel to Jenna as possible. It was just so ironic and amusing. Alex loved every single second of his sick and twisted game. He loved watching the immensely satisfying results- Felix torturing Jenna, perhaps by twisting her arms behind her back until she cried out in pain, or him kissing her and how she acted when he did so, when she gave up struggling and screwed her eyes shut. Perhaps she imagined she was somewhere else altogether and it wasn't Felix kissing her at all. Alex had no idea who she imagined kissing her though, neither did he care.

As for Felix, he was starting to change too. Sometimes he even came up with some suggestions that he presented to Alex first for his approval and Alex often found that he liked his ideas. He was as good as molding another version of himself and it was certainly impeccable work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Twisted**

* * *

No real warnings for this chapter. Mildly dark thoughts, a little violence and some peril at the end.

* * *

Jenna stepped out of the house one morning, feeling a warm summer's breeze drift past her. She did not care about the breeze, she did not care it was summer, she didn't care about anything. Who cared if people noticed she had come out wearing nothing but a nightdress? They sure hadn't noticed anything else. 

Jenna walked a few steps forwards, looking around in confusion. Everything seemed so hazy and distant, it was like she was seeing this place for the first time. The sun was unnaturally bright, the sky seemed like a very vivid blue and there was so much green everywhere, it almost hurt her eyes. The sound of rushing water nearby was so loud, she wanted to clamp her hands over her ears. Everything was noisy and disturbing and she almost wanted to turn around and run back inside.

She glanced back over her shoulder, looking at the house where she lived and then she shuddered profusely at the very idea of going back in there. Bad things were happening in there now and Jenna wanted to avoid those bad things. However, she lived there, so she had to suffer these bad things anyway and she wasn't allowed to tell otherwise people would get upset, make a huge fuss and Felix would be hurt for something that was not his fault. Jenna did not want Felix to get hurt.

Jenna started walking again, chuckling at the feeling of the grass tickling her feet. They felt almost like tiny blades trying to cut the skin of her feet. Wouldn't it be funny if they did and she bled? Jenna grinned as she imagined her blood trickling out and staining the bright green to a dark crimson.

Where should she go today? Maybe she should walk all the way to the edge of the world and find out what was down there. Perhaps there was a better world down Gaia Falls, somewhere better than this, where the beautiful oblivion of death awaited her. She hardly sought it out yet, but if given the chance, she was sure she would snap it up in a second.

Where was she headed? Oh yes, she seemed to be going in the direction of the inn. Jenna spotted Garet coming towards her. She guessed that he wanted to talk to her, probably about something unimportant. What was even important anymore? Nothing. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Jenna?" Garet's voice sounded strange and disembodied in Jenna's head. "What are you doing? Why are you out dressed like that? Jenna? Speak to me."

Jenna's eyes briefly flickered over him before she turned away to look at a flower swaying in the breeze, bobbing its head up and down as the wind commanded. A light titter bubbled up and out of her throat and she grinned.

"Something's wrong with you, huh?" Garet gulped. He had never seen Jenna act in this way before, not even close. It was almost as if she was going crazy, but how could that be? "Come on, I'll take you to Mia. I'm sure she'll know what to do."

Jenna obediently held out her hand without question. Garet wordlessly took her hand and led her into the inn. They walked upstairs and along the hallway. Garet rapped sharply on the door and Mia's answering call said that it was okay to come in. He opened the door and gently pushed Jenna inside, following her into the room. Mia and Sheba were currently talking about something but ceased their conversation immediately.

"Why is she dressed like that?" Sheba asked, staring at Jenna in her nightgown. "Did you walk all the way from your house in your nightdress?"

"Mia, something's wrong with Jenna," Garet indicated Jenna, who had a lucid smile on her face and was lazily glancing around the room. "I think she's losing her mind."

"What?" Mia looked at Jenna in worry. Admittedly there did seem to be something strange about her. She was spacing out, acting as if nobody else was in the room with her, and she hadn't even bothered to dress before coming outside apparently. "Do you know why?"

"No," Garet shook his head. "Jenna, won't you tell me what's wrong? Come on, tell us."

Jenna turned and smiled eerily at him, tilting her head. "What are you talking about?" Her voice sounded soft and dreamy. "I never said that anything was wrong. There is nothing wrong. Nothing at all."

"You are a bad liar, Jenna," Sheba frowned. "You haven't improved at all. We can tell easily enough that there's something wrong."

"Don't be silly," Jenna beamed in Sheba's direction. "How could I be a bad liar if I wasn't telling a lie?" Sheba gave her a perplexed stare.

"Well, if you won't tell us, would you tell anyone else?" Garet pressured her. "What about Isaac? Piers? Do you even talk to Felix?"

Jenna snapped. She swung a fist straight into Garet's nose. He recoiled with a loud yell and backed off, agony exploding through his nose from the force of Jenna's fist.

"Oh dear," Mia hurried over to Garet. "Is your nose bleeding? Oh, it is. Here, let me cast Ply."

"You idiot," Jenna sobbed, heaving and shaking. "Do you really think I can tell Felix? He's not even there, he's gone! That's not even my brother, it's just some shell, some empty person, it's NOT Felix! Felix is... Felix's gone..." She started tearing at her hair, loud sobs erupting from her body. Her hands flew, her nails grazing her face and creating a long scratch down one cheek.

"Jenna, stop that," Sheba stepped towards Jenna, but stopped moving in her direction when Jenna threw her a deranged glare. "She's hurting herself! Look!"

"Stop it, Jenna!" Garet ran forwards and grabbed her, trying to hold her hands by her side so that she would stop hitting and scratching herself.

"Let go!" Jenna gasped out, struggling against Garet's grip. However, he didn't, desperate to stop her hurting herself. "Let go of me! I said, LET GO!" She started screaming hysterically.

"Let go of her, Garet," Mia spoke loudly to be heard over Jenna's voice. Garet quickly did so and Jenna fell to the ground, sobbing.

"None of you understand," Jenna wept, tears coursing down her face and splashing to the floor. "How could any of you possibly understand? I'm going through hell but there's nothing I can do about it, nothing any of you can do! You have no idea what I'm going through!" She leaped to her feet and fled crying from the room, leaving Mia, Garet and Sheba alone in dumbfounded shock.

"Why do I always have to screw everything up?" Garet sighed. "Something's terribly wrong with Jenna."

"Hmm," Mia frowned. "Something is upsetting her. Something terrible. I hope we can figure it out before she gets any worse."

Sheba had an idea, but she decided not to voice it just yet. Perhaps Jenna would open up to her. If she didn't, Sheba could always risk reading her mind. This was enough of an emergency, wasn't it?

Jenna ran back in the direction of her house, stumbling blindly as she ran. She wasn't sure why she was going back there but then again where else would she go? She wasn't safer anywhere, was she? Even Garet held her like that, like Felix... no, that person that resembled her brother, kept doing. He wasn't Felix. Felix was just gone.

Jenna heard a shout and collided with somebody standing in her path. She leaned against them, panting and gasping, for a moment before looking up into a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Jenna, what's the matter?" Isaac held her up. "Why are you wearing that outside?"

"Isaac," Jenna laughed bitterly and pushed him away. "You lied to me, Isaac. You lied to me!" She sobbed and started beating her fists on his chest, "I hate you! You liar! How could you tell lies?"

"Jenna, stop that," Isaac gently grasped her wrists and held them away from him. "When did I lie to you, Jenna? If I did, I'm very sorry, I swear I am, but what did I say that was a lie?"

"Just shut up!" Jenna jerked away and continued running back to her house. Isaac stared at her in distress. Clearly, something was wrong. A minute later, Sheba came running past him after her. Isaac felt even more perplexed by the second and considered going after Sheba, until Garet and Mia approached.

"Isaac, we've got to talk," Garet said.

Jenna rushed into her room, sobbing and gasping. Everybody had picked on her, noticed something was wrong, they couldn't just leave her alone. She looked down and realised that she was wearing her nightgown. She immediately felt stupid for her error, it had simply drawn attention to herself. Jenna quickly rushed around the room, scooping up her clothes in a frantic hurry and dressing herself.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. "Who is it?" Jenna shouted as she pulled her skirt up. Why couldn't they just stay away?

"It's me," Sheba's voice came through the door. "May I come in?"

"I guess so," Jenna said reluctantly, putting her vest on and tying it securely. Sheba stepped inside, closing the door behind her and leaned against it, a stern expression on her face.

"Spill it," Sheba demanded. "I want to know what's wrong. I know that something is terribly wrong with you, Jenna, and I swear if you don't tell me right now, I'm just going to read your mind and find out."

Jenna exhaled deeply. Maybe she could trust Sheba after all. Telling her was better than having her forcibly read her mind. "Okay, but do you swear you won't tell a soul?"

"I swear," Sheba responded. Actually, she wasn't sure she could hold it to herself. Depended on how serious it was. If it was some huge, dark secret that was making her go crazy, Sheba could always go blurt it out and everyone would make the problem go away and Jenna would get better. Still, better to let Jenna think her secret safe for now.

"I'm scared, Sheba," Jenna clutched her arms to her chest, a tragic expression on her face. "Really scared."

"Scared?" Sheba's eyes widened in surprise. "But, Jenna, what are you scared of?"

"Him," Jenna pointed. Sheba looked along the length of her arm and stared at the wall. No, Jenna wasn't scared of the wall, that was ridiculous. Suddenly, it occurred to her. Jenna was pointing in the direction of Felix's room.

"You're scared of Felix?" Sheba was dismayed.

"No! I'm not scared of Felix!" Jenna screamed. "You just don't understand!"

"I think I do," Sheba looked about to cry as she opened the door and stepped outside. Jenna heard the sound of running footsteps and gasped. She immediately gave chase, following Sheba all the way outside while calling her name, and the pair stopped when they found a crowd standing outside already. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia and Piers, all seeming like they were waiting for something.

"Jenna, we figured something was going on," Mia spoke first, her voice soft and gentle. "I think we know what it is now."

"You snapped and hit me when I mentioned Felix," Garet gestured at his nose, clearly looking very displeased at the memory of Jenna's fist slamming into his face.

"Then you told me I'd lied," Isaac spoke next. "I told everybody about when you said Felix kissed you that time and I'd also told you there was no way he was going to do it again, especially when you told him not to. He didn't stop, did he?"

"She also just admitted she was scared of Felix," Sheba crossed her arms. Jenna gasped in dismay, throwing a glare of loathing at Sheba for betraying her.

"It's true, isn't it?" Isaac demanded.

"No," Jenna backed away, putting distance between herself and the group. She shook her head wildly, looking frightened. "You all have the wrong idea. You don't understand. Please..."

Suddenly, a figure sprang out from behind a nearby bush and strong arms wrapped around Jenna. Everybody let out a gasp.

"Jenna!" Piers shouted.

"Alex!" Mia screamed in fury.

"Yes, it is I," Alex crowed, holding Jenna fast in his arms. She stared up at him, her eyes wide with shock and anger, yet she was not struggling.

"Where have you been this whole time, Alex?" Isaac bristled. "And why have you only just come back?"

"Let Jenna go right now!" Garet demanded.

Alex suddenly let out a roaring laugh. "Fools! I've been here the whole time, right under your noses!" The group looked at each other in surprise, all of them equally perplexed. "In fact, I found an amnesiac Felix very useful indeed!"

"What?" Jenna hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"He was nothing more than a blank, empty shell, perfect for being moulded by yours truly," Alex chuckled, his eyes blazing with triumph. "So I spent every day with him, talking to him and manipulating him. It was a slow process but eventually I had an obedient slave who was happy to do what I said and would do anything I asked! Molesting and hurting his sister? No big deal. He didn't even remember who she was, so it didn't matter."

"You bastard!" Jenna screamed.

"Now I'll be taking Jenna away," Alex grinned wickedly, warping out with the struggling Mars Adept and leaving the group in shock and horror.

"Come on," Isaac said immediately, breaking into a run. "We've got to go after Alex and rescue Jenna!" Everybody else followed as they raced to save Jenna before Alex had a chance to do anything to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Twisted**

* * *

Mild violence and some peril. Also a tiny little hint of shonen-ai at the end.

* * *

This cave had lain undiscovered for years, hidden in the middle of a deep thicket. Simply trying to pass through this thicket would result in deep scratches and torn garments. Some had tried but given up, limping away with brand new wounds and rips gouged in their clothes. In many years, not one single human had come to this cave. 

Not until now.

A man appeared in front of the cave's mouth, his long blue hair blowing back in the wind. He had discovered this cave, a perfect hiding place that none could access, and upon entering this cave he had discovered that there was indeed a very good reason it was hidden from the world and difficult to access. Alex was now planning to put this reason to good use.

Alex released the girl in his arms and she stumbled forwards, looking around in confusion.

"Where have you brought me?" Jenna demanded, turning her scathing gaze upon the Imilian. Her entire body was shaking, not with fright, but with rage. She wanted to tear Alex apart with her bare hands for his actions and laugh at his dying form. However, she knew Alex was far superior to her and taking him on alone was nothing short of suicide.

"It's a surprise," Alex answered, flipping back his hair and leaning back with an insidious grin. He was of course uncowed by Jenna's blazing fury. In fact, he thought it made her seem very attractive indeed. "Now before I show you, do you have any questions you would like to ask me? I am very happy to answer your queries, which I am sure you are just full of."

"Why?" Jenna's voice trembled. She shook her head furiously, her red bangs falling into her eyes. However, she did not bother to even brush them away. "Why did you do all that, Alex? How could you turn my own brother against me? How could you make him do that? You sick monster!"

"I have many a personal grudge, alas," Alex sighed wearily. "For example, I despise Isaac for robbing me of my dream. I despise the fact that you were all so quick to replace me with another Water Adept although I suppose that in the circumstances it could not be helped. However, that is not the reason I have done all this to you."

"Oh, so you just hate me for no reason at all?" Jenna snapped. "What did I ever do to you?"

"It is not something that you have done, my dear Jenna," Alex reached out to touch her face. Jenna recoiled and sharply pushed his hand away, indicating she clearly did not want him touching her. "I am the problem here."

Jenna remained silent, waiting for Alex to continue his tirade.

"A long time ago, not too long after the quest's start," Alex began explaining. "I started to develop feelings for you. I tried to give you hints, but you never took them. It was as if you didn't notice me, you simply looked right through me. After we parted ways, it was difficult not to think about you. It occurred to me later on, as I lay in my rock prison, that you may all have learned of my intentions, did you not?"

"Yes," Jenna said quietly. "The Wise One told us all."

"You would not take a man like me, someone who tried to claim Alchemy, even though none of you knew why I wanted it," Alex said coldly. "I am sure you all began to thoroughly despise me, believing me to be some evil monster out to rule the world. And that was all I could think of in my prison. My bitterness turned to anger, to rage, the desire to hurt those who had never been able to even trust me. Nobody ever trusted me, not one little bit."

"You're not exactly easy to trust," Jenna hissed. "You never were, Alex."

"Silence!" Alex snapped, lashing out and slapping Jenna soundly. Jenna winced and clutched her stinging cheek, a red hand-shaped mark beginning to appear. "Now all I am is a mad, deranged creature, out for revenge, to hurt those who treated me like nothing more than lower class scum. You all judged me from the beginning, refused to open yourselves to me. Left out in the cold, tricked out of my dream, forgotten about in the end, this is what I have become."

"You're mad," Jenna whimpered, shaking in fright as she looked into Alex's eyes and saw the gaze of a deranged man. "You're not the Alex we knew, you're not... you're evil. Why... why do you act like this? Why?"

"I am tired of questions," Alex gripped Jenna's arm and turned her around. Jenna froze as she looked into the cave, seeing the gaping darkness waiting to swallow her up. "Now I shall take you into the cave and show you your surprise."

"No!" Jenna tried to break free. Alex crossly wrapped his arms around her and lifted her clean off her feet, marching into the darkness with the struggling girl in his arms. Once he reached the back, he dropped her to the ground and she sat there, watching him warily.

"What are you going to do?" Jenna asked querulously.

"I'm not going to do anything," Alex raised his hand, glowing with Psynergy. The cave shone with an eerie blue light, illuminating a clump of green vines studded with purple crystals that glinted in the light. "These vines will."

"Vines?" Jenna glanced at the dark green tendrils. "Oh, you're putting me in bondage?" She shot a withering glare at Alex. "Sorry, but your little fetish isn't my idea of a good time."

"You are as witty as ever, Jenna," Alex smirked. "That is not their purpose. These vines are infused with pure Jupiter Psynergy. With my half of Alchemy, I tapped into their power and now I can use them how I wish. This is what I wish to show you."

"How fun," Jenna replied sarcastically. "I would love to see it, Alex. However, I just remembered I have to be somewhere else right now so I really don't have the time for this."

Alex shook his head silently, ignoring her comment, and his hand shone with a purple light. The vines leaped sharply off the rock wall and began to wrap around the surprised Jenna. They slowly pulled her back until she rested against the wall and then she disappeared into a cluster of purple-studded vines, her cries muffled by her cage of plantation.

"Sweet dreams, Jenna," Alex smirked. "These vines will send various images into your mind, causing you to hallucinate. After a while, you may be unable to tell your dreams from reality. I do not know exactly what the vines will show you, but hopefully whatever you see is enough to send you spiralling down into madness. Maybe then you'll understand what I'm like... if your mind is not completely broken."

The Mercurian turned and left the cave, leaving Jenna isolated and alone in her trap, and he warped away beyond the covering of thicket. Alex strode onwards, looking for the particular area near a cluster of trees. He was not far from Vale, yet he wasn't going straight there just yet. He knew Isaac and his friends would already have marched from the village and would be searching the area for him, they knew he had a limited warping distance.

Alex found what he was seeking when he saw a lone figure propped up against a tree, sitting on the ground with his arms around his legs. He looked so small and pitiful in that hunched up position.

"I am back, Felix," Alex announced, approaching the Venusian. He had brought Felix out here for his own safety, not wishing for the others to hurt or even protect his pawn from him. They knew now that Alex had been tainting Felix's mind and would surely try to ensure Alex could do no more damage. Neither did Alex wish for them to hurt Felix, not just yet. "Did you miss me?" He asked, sitting down next to him.

"Where did you go?" Felix turned his wide, brown eyes towards Alex. "I was getting bored out here and it's starting to get cold."

"I merely secured your sister somewhere safe," Alex smiled disarmingly, reaching out to stroke Felix's dark locks. "Now, Felix, we are going to do something very special and I want your full co-operation, understand?"

"Yes, Alex, I will do whatever you say," Felix agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. He was always willing to go along with what Alex said, he trusted Alex, and Alex was his friend.

"That's right, you do what I say," Alex praised. "After all, we are very good friends, and friends help each other out," He learned in, his hot breath resounding against Felix's ear. "Now we must go and pay Isaac and his friends a visit. They are being very mean to me and I want your help."

"I'll help," Felix turned his head so that he was facing Alex. Their faces were only inches apart, Alex's enchanting eyes gazing into his own, and he felt his face grow hot. For some reason, Alex made him feel strange. What did he do to him to make him do this?

"I knew you would," Alex ran his thumb along Felix's jawline, causing the younger man to shiver with pleasure. "Let's go. The sooner we meet with Isaac and company, the better it is." He grinned, standing up, and Felix also stood.

Alex took Felix's hand and warped out as he sought out Isaac and friends, who were marching close by in search of him and possibly expecting to find Jenna too. How disappointed they would be indeed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Twisted**

* * *

Scary stuff and some violence. Yep, another battle scene in this chapter, hooray!

* * *

"Where am I?" Jenna gasped as she looked around the room. It was entirely built of stone and there were no doors or windows. There was no way in, no way out. She was trapped within these walls. 

It was hot in here. Hot, damp and musty. She wanted air, she wanted to feel the wind on her face, but all she could feel was the sweat lining her warm skin. Her eyes smarted as sweat dripped down her forehead.

"Let me out," Jenna whispered, running her hands along the smooth, unforgiving stone. "I'm scared. I'm lost, I'm all alone, I'm scared. Let me out!" Her voice rose and echoed, bouncing around the room. "Somebody help me..."

"Me... me... me!" The room hollered back at her.

"HELP!" Jenna started banging her fists on the wall, wincing as her skin suddenly smarted against the harsh, rough stone..

"Elp... elp... elp!"

"How did I get here?" Jenna stepped away, backing up until she stood in the middle of the room. "I don't remember how I got here. I can't even remember where I was five minutes ago. Where was I?"

Pain shot through her heaving chest and she sagged to her knees, her vision growing dizzy. "Somebody, help me," Jenna begged weakly, a tear leaking out her eye and falling down her cheek. "I don't want to die here. I don't want to die! Let me out! Please!"

"Why?" A disembodied voice suddenly boomed, rumbling deeply within the cavernous walls. "Why should we help you? We don't like you. We never have. We would rather leave you to die here because we hate you. We look down on you. We judge you."

"Stop it!" Jenna cried, clamping her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear it! Please, go away! Leave me alone!"

"Alone. You are all alone," said the voice. "That's right, Jenna, all alone now. Nobody liked you, they preferred to treat you like scum. You were ignored, despised, hated, now you are stuck here. Everybody has already forgotten you. They don't care about you sitting all alone here. They would never even consider rescuing you."

"But what did I do?" Jenna gasped out. "I never did anything to make anybody hate me."

"They didn't trust you," A high, chilling laugh followed. "Nobody ever trusted you, Jenna. They would sooner see you dead than even consider trusting you."

"What?" Jenna bit her lip. "That's not true. It can't be true."

"It is true," The voice rebuked her. "Everybody hates you. They are laughing at you, trapped within these walls, no way out."

"No!" Jenna screamed, clutching her head. Her eyes widened in horror as the room seemed to shrink. The walls were coming towards her as if they meant to crush her. "Nooooo!"

Nobody could hear the cries of the distressed girl wrapped in her prison of Jupiter powered vines, alone and at the mercy of their hallucinations. The horrifying images in her mind continued to play over and over, and she never realised what was going on as she sank into the belief that this was all very much real.

Meanwhile, Alex and Felix reached the top of a hill that overlooked a wide, gaping valley. Alex put his hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun's glare and scanned the scenery, smiling as he spotted six figures crossing the valley. Apparently they thought they could find him simply walking around. Well, at any rate, he was coming to them.

"Are they looking for us?" Felix asked, glancing at his blue-haired companion.

"Yes, they are searching for me," Alex replied. "They wish to cause me serious harm for things that I have done, things they do not approve of. You don't want to see me hurt, do you?"

"No," Felix said immediately, feeling a tightening in his chest as he imagined Alex being hurt. "I don't want you to be hurt."

"Then you must help me."

"Yes. I will."

Alex and Felix began walking down the hill, marching towards Isaac and company. They saw the pair before they even reached the bottom and hurried over for the confrontation. Alex smiled calmly as the group approached him, Felix hanging just behind him with a blank expression on his face.

"Alex," Isaac gritted his teeth as he reached for his sword. "Where is Jenna?"

"You had better give her back right now," Garet's fists glowed with fire.

"Jenna is somewhere safe," Alex assured them. "I have not caused her any harm. However, I will not be returning her just yet."

"Felix, what are you doing with him?" Sheba called out. The Venusian gave her a blank stare and did not respond.

"Then we will fight," Isaac brandished his weapon. "You deserve death for your actions."

"How amusing," Alex smiled as the Adepts advanced on him. "Go on, Felix."

Collective gasps rose into the air as Felix slowly stepped forwards, unsteadily holding his sword. He wasn't exactly sure how to fight with a weapon but Alex had taught him a few moves. Still, he was nervous about this.

"Don't help him!" Piers pleaded. "Do you have any idea what he's done to you?"

"So you want to fight me, Felix?" Isaac asked grimly as Felix advanced on him. "Fine then, I'll take you down and then I'll deal with Alex. Everyone, stay out of this, this fight between the two of us. Concentrate on Alex!"

"No!" Sheba cried out in dismay as she watched Isaac and Felix begin to parry sword blows. "Felix, please don't fight... please..."

"Spark Plasma!" Ivan called out, casting his strongest Psynergy on Alex. Alex sniffed and raised a hand towards Ivan, a blue aura surrounding the offending hand. Ivan looked down in surprise as he felt a deep coldness around his feet. Ice was creeping up his body and trapping him.

"You are too weak to deal with me," Alex sniffed contemptuously. "The ice will not kill you, it will simply immobilise you. Just stay there and watch."

Ivan could not even struggle as the ice rapidly spread over his chest and mercifully stopped just below his neck. Even shivering was difficult trapped in this numb, cold block. He closed his eyes and tried to think about the heat in the Lamakan Desert to take his mind off the icy chill running through his body.

"Die!" Garet yelled, rushing at Alex and flinging searing fire at the Imilian. Alex closed his eyes, looking serene, as the flames washed over him. They burned him but they could not finish him off so easily.

"That all you have?" Alex opened his eyes and raised his hands. Garet was stopped in his tracks as a sphere of water welled up around him. He clamped his mouth shut and splashed around in the sphere, his eyes widening. Bubbles trailed out of his nose.

"Let him go!" Mia cried, swinging her mace at Alex. Her eyes blazed with fury and desperation. She had to get him to let Garet go before he drowned in that terrible manifestation of water.

Alex coldly knocked the mace aside and it went rolling onto the grass. Mia prepared to cast Psynergy, but Alex was quicker and grabbed her around the neck, lifting her off her feet. Mia gasped for air as she struggled to loosen his grip, her legs dangling wildly in the air.

Piers ran forwards and slashed away furiously at Alex. His sword ripped through the side of Alex's chest and Alex released Mia, wincing and clutching the new wound in his chest. Blood began to well up and drip down his clothes.

"If you kill me, I can't release Garet," Alex smirked. Piers backed up nervously. Alex looked down at Mia who was lying on the ground and gulping in large amounts of air, then he looked back up at Garet who was on the verge of becoming unconscious. Alex shrugged and waved his hand, causing the sphere to disappear. Garet fell to the ground, his eyes closed. Mia immediately scrambled over to check on him and heal if necessary.

Piers was perplexed by Alex's actions. He had deliberately endangered Garet's life only to free him at the last second. Still, Alex had done terrible wrong and was attacking them, so he had to finish off Alex. Piers leaped forwards, his sword clanging against Alex's. He noticed that Alex was somewhat slower and clumsier, possibly due to the wound smarting and causing him pain. A lucky strike from Piers created a new rip down the length of Alex's upper arm. Alex hissed in pain and clutched his arm.

Felix froze as he saw that Alex was injured. His immediate thought was to run to Alex and help him somehow, maybe get the other person away from him so that he could escape. But he was occupied with this other person so he would be making himself vulnerable to attack. Felix stared at Alex, lost in thought and confusion. What could he do?

Isaac did not realise that Felix was no longer looking at him and ran forwards, his sword pointed ahead of him. Only at the last second did he see that Felix was looking away, unprepared for his attack, and had no time to parry the blow. Isaac let out a cry of horror as his sword plunged through Felix's chest.

Felix looked down in surprise as Isaac shakily pulled the sword out, revealing a gaping red wound. He tasted something bitter in his mouth, it was warm and coppery, and tasted salty. What was this taste? Why was his chest hurting so much?

"Alex," Felix gasped out, falling to the ground. Sheba's piercing scream rang in his ears as he began to lose consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Twisted**

* * *

Yeah, no real warnings for this chapter, just some angst. Woohoo.

* * *

"Felix..." Isaac shuddered as he watched the Venus Adept lying on the ground. He was soaked in blood... it was just pouring out of him and it wouldn't stop. "What have I done? I didn't mean to stab him. I really didn't!" 

"Felix!" Sheba cried again, rushing to his side. He was already unconscious and did not respond to her attention. "He's bleeding... he's losing so much blood..."

"Oh dear," Alex tutted. "Maybe I had better leave you people with your little mess."

Piers tried to leap forwards and attack, but Alex was already disappearing in a swirl of sparkles. He quietly cursed in Ancient Lemurian. Nearby, there was a sound of shattering as Ivan's ice prison broke apart and he fell to his knees, sighing in relief as the cold feeling left his body.

"Don't feel so bad, Isaac," Garet spoke. He had just awoken and got to his feet, water dripping profusely from his body. "Felix attacked you. You were just acting in self defence."

"But a wound like that," Ivan shivered. "He could die. Piers, Mia, you better heal him."

"Why?" Isaac asked quietly, his expression obscured by his blond bangs.

The group looked at him in shock. Isaac gripped a fist and clasped it to his chest, his body trembling with emotion. He was scarcely sure what he was saying either, the words just flew out of his mouth.

"He betrayed us by siding with Alex," Isaac spat. "Alex manipulated him to hurt Jenna. Then Felix tried to help Alex out. He's become Alex's pawn in some twisted scheme that Alex is up to."

"Felix hasn't got his memory!" Sheba gasped out between sobs, tears raining down her cheeks. "He doesn't know what he's doing wrong!"

"If he's siding with Alex, that makes him our enemy," Isaac said coldly, his familiar shell drawing over him. He had become good at hiding his emotions and he was doing that right now, balling them up and storing them away somewhere where nobody could see them. "How do you know that Felix won't be the same way when his memory returns?"

"That's ridiculous!" Sheba yelled. "Just let them heal him!"

"But Isaac has a point," Garet jumped in. "Besides, even if he was healed, he might just attack us again. Is that what you want? You're not going to want it if he goes and sticks his sword in your gut, Sheba!"

Sheba let out a loud sob and buried her face in her arms, which lay on his chest. Blood was staining her skin but she did not care. What hurt more was that it was Felix's blood. On her. He was still bleeding and now nobody even wanted to help him?

"Isaac, are you saying we should just leave Felix to die?" Ivan asked, his voice quivering.

"All I'm saying is that he's a traitor and maybe traitors deserve death," Isaac replied blankly. His voice sounded dead and flat. Even to himself, his voice sounded completely alien. "I'm going back to Vale. Do what you like." He turned and walked back in the direction of Vale, suddenly aware of a stinging feeling at the back of his eyeballs. No, he could not be sad, he would just accept his decision. It was hard, but surely it was for the best.

"Isaac!" Ivan shouted, chasing after him. He could scarcely believe everything Isaac was saying but his words rang with a hard, cold truth. Felix could simply attack again. Even worse, he could never get his memory back and would be forever loyal to Alex. That alone made him dangerous.

"Hey, what about Jenna?" Garet asked, following Isaac. "Don't we have to find her?"

"Alex will probably just tell her what I did and she'll end up against us too," Isaac said bitterly. "Let's not bother trying to find her. She'll come to us."

"Isaac..." Mia said quietly, blinking back tears. She was numb and horrified by what was happening. Isaac was actually leaving his childhood friend to die. But then again, it wasn't him beneath that shell that lay dying upon the ground. It was simply a pawn of Alex, it wasn't even Felix anymore. He was nothing more than an enemy on Alex's side. Mia tore her eyes away from the injured Venus Adept and tore after Isaac, trying to withhold her turbulent emotions.

"No..." Sheba sobbed. "Felix... no... Piers, heal him, damn it! Just heal Felix!"

"Sheba," Piers approached her, his face contorted with indecision. He didn't want Felix to die either. It just didn't seem fair that Felix had to be punished for losing his memory and being led astray due to that. Piers glanced at the group of four, vanishing in the distance as they walked to Vale. They had chosen not to help Felix, going along with Isaac's decision, but he felt he could not simply do the same.

Besides, Sheba was traumatised enough at the idea of Felix being left for dead. She adored him, looked up to him, losing him would be a bitter loss for her indeed and her past alone was tragic. She didn't even know who she was, the only family she had were back in Lalivero but even they could not be her real family. She needed the closeness and support of her friends and even that was already threatening to break apart.

Then there was Jenna. Even with Alex twisting Felix and turning him against her, she still faithfully defended him and thought of him as innocent. Jenna was very much devoted to her brother and she had already lost him once in that incident the Valeans talked about often. After all the trauma she had suffered, losing him again would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Piers," Sheba choked out, her voice breaking. "Please..." Her voice was tinny and faint.

"I can't let him die," Piers announced. "We shouldn't care what Isaac says, we should help him because he needs us." He quickly knelt next to Felix and started casting his strongest healing spell. "Come on, Felix, don't die." He tensed, watching as the blood stopped flowing while the shining blue light illuminated the wound. Eventually, the wound closed up, leaving nothing more than a long cut and a rip in Felix's shirt. His chest started rising faster, indicating that his pulse had quickened and he was now breathing normally.

"You healed him," Sheba smiled through her tears. "I'm so glad... he's going to be okay..."

"We need to take him somewhere safe where he can recover," Piers spoke. "Vale isn't really an option, Isaac would probably just make sure nobody let us in. We should try Vault."

"No need," Alex spoke suddenly, warping in. He held up a hand as Piers and Sheba leaped to their feet, both of them tensed to attack him. "Relax, I mean no harm. I know of a nearby cave where no monster can reach. It is closer than Vault, and Felix can recover there. What do you think?"

"And why do you want to help us?" Sheba asked scathingly. "You were trying to kill us before!"

"He did release Garet before he drowned," Piers recalled. "Maybe he wasn't trying to kill us."

"Yes, listen to Piers," Alex smiled disarmingly at Sheba, who merely narrowed her eyes at him. "So do you want to take the long route to Vault or simply get to the cave in no time at all?"

"Is this some kind of trap?" Sheba asked cautiously.

"It is no trap," Alex responded. "It is merely a warm, dry and empty cave. Very comfortable too."

"Well, Felix needs to rest and carrying him to Vault may merely worsen his injuries," Piers said thoughtfully. "Okay, Alex, you can take us to this cave, but that doesn't mean we trust you or anything."

"I would not expect you to," Alex responded smoothly. He reached down and gently lifted Felix onto his shoulder, then reached out his hands towards Piers and Sheba. "I will warp us there, it is difficult to access by foot."

They did so, Sheba shuddering as she grasped Alex's hand. She couldn't even stand to be near the monster right now, let alone actually touching him. A whirl of sparkles surrounded the group and they were whisked away to the mouth of a cave.

Piers and Sheba ventured forth into the cave first, glancing around in the darkness. Alex followed and placed Felix in an upright position against the wall. He had not yet regained consciousness and slumped down slightly, his head drooping forwards. Alex looked at Piers and Sheba and his mouth spread in a wicked grin.

Alex raised his hand and vines came rushing along the cave walls, some of them springing off and grabbing Piers and Sheba. The two yelled in surprise as they were held against the cave walls, trapped by the vines. Even more came forwards, snaking around their limbs and torsos. A stray vine crept up to Felix, unnoticed by Alex, and started wrapping itself around his body.

"I lied," Alex chuckled. "There is indeed a trap in this cave."

"You monster!" Sheba shouted. "You tricked us!"

"No wonder you can't even be trusted," Piers struggled against the straining vines. "You are a liar, a backstabber and a cheat!"

"Yes, I am all of those, aren't I?" Alex crossed his arms and smiled smugly. "Perhaps you really should have taken the path to Vault after all. Of course, I could still have captured you and brought you here. That's what I did to Jenna too. Right now, she is also in this cave, trapped in these very special vines, a victim of this beautiful trap. Nobody has ever discovered it before, but I did. A cave too difficult to reach on foot, hidden between towering walls of thicket. It is my secret alone, or at least it used to be, but there's nothing you can do about it right now."

"So what's so special about these vines?" Piers asked, sagging against the wall as he gave up struggling. The vines were clearly much too strong for him to even break. They would not loosen either.

"Yeah, I don't get why you would just want to tie us to the wall," Sheba glanced at the vines. "And there seems to be something odd about them. I sense a strange power, it is familiar, and there are crystals studded in them. It feels like Psynergy."

"Ah yes," Alex nodded. "I will tell you what's so special about the vines." He did not hear the sound of someone stirring awake behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Twisted**

* * *

Apologies for the delay. I had Internet trouble, but it's all well and good now.

* * *

He had been floating. He didn't know how long he had been there, he just knew that he had been drifting along in an empty blackness. It was so dark, he couldn't even see his hand if he could move it for that matter. Oh yeah, he couldn't move either. He was stiff, cold and just floating. If he could, he would open his mouth and call out, shout for help, something. He needed help but there was nobody else around. He was alone in the bitterly cold darkness. 

Unexpectedly, he felt a soft warmth begin to wrap itself around him. It felt like some kind of thin, snaky tendril coiling around him and it brought him warmth and comfort. A flash of purple exploded in his vision. Purple, like the light of Jupiter itself.

"Felix," A soft, haunting whisper carried itself to him. "You are one without your memory. Well, it is time for your memory to return to you."

Suddenly, his mind which had been dark and empty before, save for his thoughts, was flooding with images and emotions. He recalled individual memories, what he felt at those times, everything connected to them. The various images linked together, forming a picture in his mind. A picture of his life.

He remembered who he was, how old he was, his friends, his family, his hometown. He remembered everything just as he had before Alex attacked. He recalled the battle, Alex slipping behind him, the warning shout of Piers, the force of ice slamming into his head and the sudden jolt of pain before slipping into a void.

Felix breathed in, breathed out, feeling his chest rise and fall. His body was warm, he felt a cool draft blowing across his skin. He was sitting against a wall, resting on cold stone. Where was he?

"Oh, yes, I will tell you what's so special about the vines."

Felix blinked and jerked his head upwards, staring in surprise at the figure in front of him. He recognised Alex by voice alone. His gaze bore into the back of Alex's head as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

Alex had attacked him. Slammed ice into his head, most likely. Now he was sitting in a cave. Felix looked around warily and was alarmed to see Sheba and Piers held fast to the cave walls by vines. He looked down at a vine lying limply in his lap and recalled the feeling of a warm tendril snaking across his body. Had that been the vine?

"These vines are infused with pure Jupiter Psynergy," Alex said grandly. "I was able to tap into them with my inherited power I gained upon Mt. Aleph. It allowed me to harness and control these vines. They apparently cause hallucinations of some sort and what someone sees in these vines might be enough to drive them mad."

"You disgust me," Piers gritted his teeth. "Using this hidden power, turning it against people, trying to drive them mad like you!"

"I do not know how long it should take," Alex continued speaking. "But after enough of the hallucinations from these vines, you and Sheba should hopefully go into a disturbed mental state. Hopefully enough for you to forget yourselves and obediently follow me. Having just one pawn is not enough for me."

"What do you hope to gain from this, Alex?" Sheba asked.

"Turning Isaac's companions against him," Alex smiled. "I have something I need and it is Isaac who possesses this. However, it would be difficult, so if I can have enough people helping me, people he trusts, then Isaac should quickly fall and I can claim what I desire."

"We will never help you!" Sheba cried out. "And Felix won't help you forever! I know he's going to be back to normal soon, I just know it."

Felix raised an eyebrow in surprise. Maybe something had happened after all, something he was unaware of. Maybe there was a missing gap in his memory... perhaps that was it. He had lost his memory without being aware, now with his memories back he did not remember what had happened during his amnesia.

"It would be a shame," Alex sighed. "Felix is such a willing pawn." He glanced back at Felix, a chilling smile gracing his calm demeanour as he noticed that Felix was now awake. "You are, aren't you?"

Felix's eyes widened. Of course, Alex expected him to say something. If he was a pawn, then he was supposed to agree. If he revealed that he was back to normal, Alex would simply trap him in the vines as well. It also seemed like a foolish idea to simply lunge at Alex and beat the crap out of him.

"Uh... yes," Felix hesitated, slowly rising to his feet. "I... I do... whatever you say."

"Of course," Alex stepped close to him and Felix cringed, surprised at how close he suddenly got. "We have a very special bond now, don't we? We'll work together to bring Isaac down and Sheba and Piers will help. Oh, and Jenna too of course, I had forgotten about her. How careless of me."

Felix froze at the mention of his sister. Jenna was in this trap of vines too? But where was she then? He could see Sheba and Piers easily enough, but not Jenna.

Sheba noticed the expression on Felix's face. He looked simply horrified and his face had changed at the mention of Jenna's name. Did this mean something she hardly dared hope? Sheba immediately started using her Psynergy, struggling to cast her long range Mind Read ability. It swiftly connected with Felix's mind and she began reading. Felix shot her a panicked look as he feared Alex would realise what was happening.

"Really, Sheba, reading his mind is not going to help Felix recover his memory or anything," Alex turned away and stepped closer to Sheba. "You are merely wasting your Psynergy. Save it for striking Isaac down. I cannot wait to see the horror in his eyes when he is betrayed by people he knows and trusts."

Sheba simply smiled, her face shining with delight. "Oh, yes, Alex. I'm sure we're all going to fall victim to your lousy trap. Felix is never going to recover his memory or anything. That is such a ridiculous idea!"

Felix slowly drew his sword from the sheath, his heart pounding against his ribcage. If Alex so much as heard the sword scraping out, it would all be over. He needed to save Sheba, Jenna and Piers. He let out a tiny sigh of relief as the sword came out completely.

Alex laughed, amused by Sheba's sarcasm. "Yes, Sheba, that's a stupid idea. Felix's definitely not going to return to his senses any time soon. Attacking me is the absolute last thing he would do."

"Wrong!" Felix shouted, slamming the hilt of his sword sharply into the back of Alex's skull. Alex gasped and tottered forwards, swaying on his feet, before he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Felix?" Piers cried out in amazement. "Are you back to normal?"

"Yeah," Felix rushed forwards and hacked away at the vines that held Sheba. She fell to the ground, sighing in relief and grinning. "I don't know what's going on or what's happened, but I gather that I lost my memory and the vines gave it back to me somehow." He said all this as he freed Piers from his prison.

"Of course," Sheba stood up. "The vines apparently cause hallucinations. One of them must have touched you and restored your memory. Oh, Felix, I'm so glad you're back!" She rushed forwards and grabbed Felix around the waist, squeezing tightly.

"Ow," Felix winced, as Sheba's head pressed against his chest. "My chest hurts. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Piers looked at him in puzzlement.

"He doesn't remember what happened after Alex knocked him out that time and erased his memory," Sheba stepped back with a smile. "So understandably Felix's a bit confused about the whole thing. Oh! Alex mentioned Jenna was in here, but where is she?"

"She must be hidden in the vines," Felix glanced around desperately, brushing his hands against the vine covered wall. "There are a lot of them though."

"I'll watch Alex in case he wakes up," Piers stepped towards the Imilian, holding his sword. "You two look for Jenna."

Felix and Sheba hastily searched the vines, looking for any tell tale bulges in the twisting green tendrils. Sheba soon found a squirming mass of vines that appeared to be wrapped around a human form and Felix hurriedly cut away at the vines, taking extra care with his sword strokes. Eventually, the vines gave way and Jenna spilled out, landing on the floor in a slump.

"She's fast asleep," Sheba kneeled next to the slumbering Fire Adept. "The vines must have a soporofic effect." She shook Jenna, but Jenna did not even stir.

"We have to get out of here," Felix shot a wary glance at Alex, who was still knocked out on the ground. "If Alex awakes, we might all end up trapped anyway."

"Yes, we'd better get moving," Sheba made her way towards the cave entrance, stepping gingerly around Alex's form.

Felix carefully scooped Jenna up into his arms and headed after Sheba, Piers following as he warily pointed his sword towards Alex in case of a sudden attack.

Sheba suddenly let out a cry of alarm as heaving vines surged forwards and spread across the cave opening, cutting off the light that came through and leaving only tiny gaps of light. Piers shouted and backed away in alarm as Alex leaped to his feet, grinning.

"We're trapped!" Felix yelled in frustration.

"We were so close too," Sheba groaned, tugging on the vines that blocked the way out. Of course, they did not budge.

"You really love sneak attacks, don't you?" Piers narrowed his eyes at Alex.

"If they work, then I am not complaining," Alex smiled. "Now that you know about the trap, I suppose it is no use to try and capture you all in the vines. Instead, we shall battle." He raised a hand, a faint blue light emitting from it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Twisted**

* * *

Prepare for some good old battle violence. Battles are very fun. We're nearly at the end now, but there's still a little tying up to do so next chapter should be the last.

* * *

Alex watched calmly as the group immediately prepared to fight him. Sheba and Piers drew their weapons first, Felix following suit once he had put Jenna down safely, and then the trio lined up in front of him, poised to fight. 

"Allow me to strike first," Alex waved his hand and a hail of icicles rained down upon the group. He felt a series of lightning bolts dance over his body, before the ground shook underneath him. The battle had begun.

As the battle raged on, Jenna was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. Minutes ago, the terrifying images in her mind had begun to fade. She had found herself floating in darkness and it was calming, it soothed her fraught nerves after what she had seen.

Jenna shifted slightly, moving her head. Her eyes were still closed and she felt something soft behind her. There was noise nearby, she could hear voices but they were blurry and hard to understand. She heard the rapid movement of feet, felt the earth moving slightly, and she saw the blinding flashes of lightning through her eyelids.

Eventually, Jenna opened her eyes a crack, peeping at the scene in front of her. She was still in the cave, this was where Alex had put her before the vines got her. A battle was raging before her own eyes, a battle against Alex.

"Just give up already, Alex!" Felix shouted as he swung the Sol Blade. His weapon howled as Megiddo came crashing down towards Alex. The Mercury Adept crouched on the ground, momentarily stunned, before he cast Ply on himself and stood back up with a smile.

"Is that all you have, Felix?" Alex scoffed. However, he did seem somewhat affected despite his bold words.

Jenna's eyes widened and she felt relief and happiness surging through her. Her brother's voice... she hadn't heard it in so long. He was back to normal, and they were actually fighting Alex now, together. She glanced at Alex again and suddenly her eyes prickled. She didn't know why, she felt sympathy, it was swelling up in her chest. She knew why... even though it made no sense, it was just there.

Piers charged forwards, slashing away with the sword. Alex stumbled and hissed as the sword slashed across his chest. He leaped away and cast Ply again, shuddering from the pain of the constant attacks. Maybe he had underestimated them after all, could he resort to cheating again? No, better not to think of it, they would have learned from that earlier experience.

Sheba raised her hand, preparing to strike again. "Spark-"

"Wait!"

The battle momentarily ceased as everybody looked at Jenna in surprise. Alex however did not show surprise, he merely looked at Jenna with one eyebrow cocked. He had certainly not been expecting a halt to the battle and it was quite disappointing.

"I understand now," Jenna took a shaky step forward, tears dripping on the ground. "I understand why Alex is like this... you were trapped, weren't you? The Wise One defeated you and you were trapped in a prison, wounded, unable to escape easily. While you waited, all you could think of was the reason you were there. You came to resent us all, and the feeling of defeat, of being hated, unable to be trusted while stuck within those walls, it was all you could think about."

"Is that what you saw in the vines?" Alex asked calmly. "I am intrigued."

"I wanted to know why you were like this," Jenna shook her head, tears flying through the air. "I wanted to understand you. Several times, I felt like I was going to plunge into madness. I couldn't stand it. The feeling of being trapped, it was terrible. So that's why you became this way."

"Hmm, you may be accurate with your line of thinking," Alex chuckled. "But it changes nothing. I still wish to have my revenge after I suffered so. All I desired was power and immortality and for that I found myself in terrible suffering. Now you shall all feel the pain that I also felt."

"I do know one thing," Jenna gritted her teeth. "I'll never forgive you!" She leaped forwards, her hands glowing. "Dragon Fume!" A stream of fire in the shape of a mighty dragon's head surged forth, striking Alex soundly in the chest. He went flying and collided with the wall of vines.

"It doesn't matter why you're like this," Sheba glared at Alex. "It doesn't matter that you felt pain and wanted to get your own back. All that matters is what you did! You chose to pick on us for something we weren't responsible for and this is what you deserve! Spark Plasma!"

"It was not our fault that the Wise One struck you down for trying to claim Alchemy and gave the thing you desired to Isaac. Isaac never asked for anything as far as we know and we never even fought you before so your revenge was unjustified," Felix spoke before casting Odyssey.

"It's you who is the problem, Alex. You simply could not keep a stable mind and your insanity led you to believe it was us at fault. You are nothing more than a crazy man driven by anger and resentment," Piers attacked last with Diamond Berg.

"Heh," Alex coughed, a line of blood dribbling out the side of his mouth. He staggered to his feet, wavering unsteadily. "I do not seek your forgiveness. I only sought to make you all suffer. I also hoped for the chance to be able to strike Isaac down, to see him in agony as his friends turned against him. However, I wouldn't have expected him to merely walk away from his dying friends. That was unexpected."

"No," Sheba tensed. "Don't you dare bring that up, Alex. Not now!"

"What is he talking about?" Felix looked confused.

"Dying friends?" Jenna looked astonished. "Who died?"

"Nobody died," Piers assured her anxiously. "Fortunately."

"Oh dear, Felix doesn't remember a thing about what happened during his amnesia, does he?" Alex smiled. "And poor Jenna has absolutely no idea what her dear friend Isaac tried to do either. How amusing."

"Tell me," Jenna hissed, her voice sounding strained. "I want to know." She threw a desperate look at Piers and Sheba. "Piers, Sheba?"

"Okay, I'll explain," Sheba swallowed. "When Felix lost his memory, Alex manipulated him and basically made him his pawn. After capturing Jenna and putting her here, Alex came after us while we were searching for them and he brought Felix along. We started fighting the both of them. Well, Isaac fought Felix, while the rest of us concentrated on Alex."

"I managed to injure Alex somewhat," Piers continued on from Sheba's story. "Felix was distracted when Alex was wounded. Isaac didn't see that Felix was distracted-"

"And then this is what happened?" Felix pointed at the rip running across his shirt. A jagged gash on his chest was still visible beneath. Piers nodded. "I can't believe I lost to Isaac in a match. I'm much better than he is."

"This isn't the time for rivalry," Jenna interrupted sharply. "So, Alex, are you saying that when Isaac wounded Felix..."

"He didn't even want to save his life," Sheba shuddered as she recalled the previous events. "Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia all went back to Vale, leaving us there with Felix... but Piers, he healed him, it was okay in the end."

"No..." Jenna shook her head, her eyes prickling. "I can't believe that Isaac tried to do that. But why? Why did he..."

"Because he had sided with Alex," Piers answered numbly. "Isaac didn't believe he was going to recover memory anytime soon and he was better off..."

"So he couldn't even trust me anymore," Felix's voice was quiet and he gazed at the ground, his long fringe hiding his expression. "I don't think I can understand this. I couldn't... leaving someone to... it's not something you do lightly... but there's no use in hating him for it. He must have had his reasons."

"I never wanted Felix to be hurt either," Jenna sniffled. "Isaac should have known that. But at least... you're okay, brother. Thank goodness." She ran forwards and hugged Felix tightly, her tears soaking his garments. Felix quietly hugged her back.

"Ah, how saddened everyone has become," Alex shook his head. "Devastated at Isaac's actions, stunned at how cold-hearted he could be. Yet you still do not wish to help me go against him. How ironic."

"Say, Alex," Sheba spoke suddenly. "If these vines are Jupiter powered, does that not mean they should be used by a Wind Adept?"

"I would assume so," Alex replied. "However, I managed to tap into their power and control them as I wished."

"How talented," Sheba smiled. Suddenly, she began to flash with Psynergy and her face scrunched up in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Alex demanded, a flicker of alarm crossing his face. Sheba simply flung her arms outwards and flashed some more. The vines started moving with surprising speed. Before Alex could react, the vines had torn through him, their tips transformed to a needle sharp point by Psynergy. He slumped to the floor in shock, blood pouring from his gut.

"You impaled him," Piers glanced at Sheba. "That was pretty good thinking."

"At the very least, you're badly injured," Sheba smiled smugly. "I don't know if you'll survive this or not, but if you do, you better stay away from us."

"Damn you," Alex choked out, the vines extracting themselves from his body. He keeled over and fell into the puddle of blood, his body growing still as he fainted.

"Good thinking, Sheba," Jenna praised her, as the group moved towards the now unblocked entrance, leaving Alex alone. They had no idea if he was still alive, but they were not going to stay and wait to see if he survived.

"How are we going to get through this wall?" Piers glanced up at the thicket. "It's going to be painful to just walk through."

"Let me try this," Sheba flung out her hand and flashed with Psynergy. "Whirlwind!"

A small whirlwind appeared and breezed through the thicket, leaving a clear trail for the group to pass through. Once they had crossed, the thicket grew back across the path, once more protecting the cave from outsiders.

"Well, let's hope we never do see Alex again," Felix glanced with distaste in the direction of the cave.

"No kidding," Jenna frowned. "I never want to see him again in a million years."

And so, the group proceeded onwards back to Vale, leaving the cave far behind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Twisted**

* * *

Nearly done. Just one more chapter to go, since Alex still needs to be dealt with...

* * *

Isaac sat by the fence right next to the gate that led out of Vale. Ever since he returned, he had just fallen down there and not moved. He simply sat with his arms around his legs and stared into the distance. 

"Are you still sitting here, Isaac?" Ivan approached him, a pitying look on his face. Isaac shrugged lightly but did not bother to look up. Ivan let out a sigh and sat down next to his companion. "You feel guilty, don't you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Isaac narrowed his eyes. "I don't feel guilty at all!"

"He will feel guilty when Jenna yells at him," Garet spoke up as he came walking over. "Hey, Isaac, it's not so bad. Maybe Alex will just disappear and Jenna will come back and so will the others."

"Piers and Sheba haven't returned and it's been a while now," Ivan said thoughtfully. "I wonder why they are still out there. Maybe Piers did save Felix after all... but why haven't they returned?"

"Probably because they know not to bring him back here," Isaac said sourly. "He was loyal to Alex. He... why bother? He was just..."

"Um, is he any better?" Mia asked from behind Garet. Garet shook his head. "Oh... I suppose you're really feeling quite upset, Isaac?"

"Yes, I am upset," Isaac's voice took on a bitter edge. "I'm not upset about leaving him out there to die. I'm upset about what Alex did. He attacked one of my friends, took advantage of what resulted and turned him into a pawn!"

"And because of that, you chose to leave him," Ivan said gently. "You really must be more hurt about it than you realise. That's why you're like this. You didn't want him to die, ever."

"Well, he's probably a goner now," Garet walked over to lean against the fence. "I'm surprised Alex hasn't charged after us. There's less of us here... oh. Maybe he got Piers and Sheba. They stayed out there, didn't they?"

"Oh no," Ivan's face fell. "There's no way the two of them alone could have taken on Alex. He must have returned and..."

"Thinking about that will do no good," Mia said abruptly, walking to the gate and leaning on it. She stared into the distance, her blue eyes filled with anxiety. "All we can do is pray for their safe return. Alex... how could he be such a monster?"

"I can't believe he did all that," Garet muttered. "What he did to Felix... and Jenna... it's sick! It's... it's... I hate him... I hate Alex... if he comes here, I'll make him suffer for what he did!"

"Last time you attempted to make him suffer, you almost drowned," Ivan said archly. Garet shot a glare at him. "Almost... that was strange, wasn't it? Alex released him at the last minute. Was he simply toying with us?"

"I just can't understand him," Isaac murmured. "Nothing he does makes any sense at all."

Mia suddenly let out a gasp of shock and pointed. "Isaac, Garet, Ivan! Come and look over there!" The boys rushed over to look in the direction Mia indicated and their faces registered similar expressions of shock, for Felix, Jenna, Sheba and Piers were approaching the village.

"What are you doing here?" Isaac demanded tightly. "Piers, did you-"

"Wait," Sheba interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "Isaac, Felix got his memory back."

"He did?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Ivan exclaimed in surprise.

"She's telling the truth," Felix offered.

"Sounds like there's a lot to tell," Mia smiled. "We should all go inside and talk about everything that's happened."

"Yeah, because everything is really not making a lot of sense right now," Garet agreed.

The group went inside the inn and sat down to begin the conversation that explained most of the matters. In the end, the atmosphere around them was thick with tension and unspoken words. An uncomfortable silence hung over the group as they waited for someone else to speak.

"Why?" Jenna broke the silence, clenching one fist so tightly that the knuckles were white. "Why did you do it, Isaac? Why did you try to leave him to... to..." She broke off, unable to utter the final word.

"It felt right at the time," Isaac gazed at the table, his eyes smarting. "I guess... I should have thought about it... but I was so frustrated, so angry... and I thought that all hope was lost for Felix..."

"What can he say?" Mia spoke softly. "There's nothing you can say to make something like that better. It's never going to feel okay. He made a big decision. Decisions like that will inevitably hurt people."

"It turned out okay in the end," Sheba reasoned. "Thanks to Piers."

"I don't get something," Felix spoke up. "What did I do that was so bad anyway? For you to leave me to die like that... what did I do? What did Alex make me do?"

"No," Jenna said in a tiny voice, her head in her arms. "You shouldn't know..."

"Alex made you do... terrible things," Isaac sighed and closed his eyes. "I shouldn't say any more. I think Jenna's angry enough at me as it is."

"Can't we just forget about it?" Jenna leaped to her feet, her chair scraping back loudly. "It's over now, so let's just forget it all happened! Please!" She turned and ran out of the inn, blinking back tears.

"Hey! Jenna!" Garet took off after her. "Wait!"

"I'm going up to my room now," Mia said abruptly.

"Yeah, me too," Ivan followed Mia upstairs.

Without a word, Isaac also got up and left the inn, leaving Felix, Sheba and Piers alone.

"It's been a long day," Sheba said wearily. "I think we all need to rest and get our heads around what's been happening."

"Nobody's going to tell me?" Felix pressed.

"It's better you don't know. Really," Piers got up and walked towards the stairs, looking fatigued. "For your own sake."

"Oh," Felix glanced downwards, his face creasing with worry. Their secrecy was only arousing his curiousity. What could he possibly have done that was so terrible that everybody wanted to hide it from him?

"You should rest too, Felix, you took quite a nasty injury earlier," Sheba smiled at him as she rose to her feet. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yeah..." Felix smiled weakly back at her before leaving the inn and stepping outside. Truth be told, he didn't feel okay with everyone tiptoeing around him and hiding things from him. Felix wandered towards his house, trying hard to think about anything that seemed out of place, what might be a clue.

Jenna and Garet were standing outside the house and it seemed like they were having an argument of some kind.

"I doubt you can hide it from him forever anyway!" Garet exclaimed, shaking his head and walking away. Jenna sighed and walked into the house, finding her parents both in the house and looking quite worried.

"Are you okay?" Her mother rushed to her, taking her anxiously by the shoulders. "We heard that you'd been taken." Jenna quickly assured her that she was fine and unharmed.

"Where is Felix?" Her father enquired.

"I'm here," Felix answered, walking into the kitchen. "I'm fine too."

Jenna watched on with a faint smile as her parents switched their attention to Felix and expressed great joy at his recovered memory. Well, it seemed like family life was finally going to be back to normal. Now if only everything that had happened before could just be forgotten. She wanted to pretend it never happened, that nothing so drastic had happened as to make Isaac consider such an action as... no, everything was better forgotten.

Later on, when night had fallen, Felix was tossing and turning in bed as he tried to drop off to sleep. It felt hot and clammy, so many things were bothering him as well. He stilled, lying on his back, as he thought about any possible clues.

There wasn't much to go on. The only people who seemed awkward about anything were his friends. Not his parents, not the rest of Vale, so evidently it must have been something quite small that only the group themselves knew of... except him. Still, it had been something that he did.

Felix eventually drifted off into a disturbed sleep and passed into the world of dreams.

The first thing he saw was Jenna standing in a darkened room, illuminated by a circle of light. She was looking straight at him with wide open eyes and her face was stained with tears.

"Felix...!" Jenna's voice rang out and she hung her head, her fringe dropping over her eyes. A lone tear splashed onto the floor.

"Jenna!" Felix began running forwards but then she vanished and he was standing alone in the dark room. He looked around wildly, wondering where she had got to.

The scene began to change. At first he was in the sanctum and everybody was talking around him, then they were upset. He tried to hear what they were talking about, but their voices were blurred and jumbled together. Everything sounded hazy and distorted.

Again, it changed. He was looking at Jenna in her bedroom... she was changing and had left the door open... why was he looking that long? Next he was in his own bedroom and Alex was there. Alex was speaking to him.

The scenes were coming faster and with each one, they were getting worse. Felix gasped as each scene flashed before him, painfully understanding what was going on, and then he kneeled over, clutching his head in his hands. He started screaming, his scream mingling with his sister's as it rang out in his ears and sounded over and over until it seemed like it was never going to stop...

Felix awoke to find his pillow soaked in tears. He looked up wearily to see the sun rising. The sky seemed almost red. Felix sank back into the pillow and continued to cry quietly, his body shaking wildly. He couldn't believe it. Had he really gone so far as to hurt her? How could he have... it didn't make sense... how could he ever hurt her...

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Felix said hoarsely, sitting up and wiping his eyes. Jenna walked into the room and was immediately perturbed at his expression.

"I heard you screaming," Jenna looked worried as she sat at the end of the bed. "Are you okay?"

"I... I dreamed it..." Felix clenched his teeth, his mind running over the terrible things he had seen in a continuous loop. "I saw... I hurt you, didn't I? Alex... he made me do things like torturing you and... kissing..." He stopped, unable to let any more words out.

"So you saw all that, huh?" Jenna looked agonised. "I hoped you wouldn't. I really did." She gripped the bedcover tightly, her body trembling. "I didn't want you to find out about Alex making you do those things. He made you commit such sinful things... it was terrible."

"I'm sorry..."

"No!" Jenna snapped suddenly. "You don't need to be sorry for anything, Felix! It was not your fault, it was all Alex's doing! Don't apologise!"

"Jenna..." Felix trailed off, lost for words. Even though Alex had made him do unspeakable things to her, she didn't even have a grudge against him. Her eyes showed no resentment whatsoever, just sympathy. He started to feel just a little better knowing this.

"Please," Jenna got off the bed, smiling faintly. "Don't let it bother you. It's all in the past now, it doesn't matter anymore."

Felix fell back onto the bed, hearing the sound of the door closing. It didn't seem so easy to forget it all, but Jenna seemed to want it this way. He sighed and rolled over, closing his eyes tight against the fading memories that scarred his mind.


	13. Chapter 13

**Twisted**

* * *

Well, this chapter concludes the story. Character death in this chapter. I think you can guess who it is.

* * *

Alex quietly staggered across the room, clutching his gut. The wound had barely healed and his tunic was soaked in blood, but he was not defeated yet. His breath came out in ragged gasps and his eyes shone with manic glee in the early morning light as he moved towards the bed. 

Isaac lay asleep in the bed, a peaceful expression on his face, as he curled up snugly under the blanket. He was unaware of his impending doom as the madman approached him and then drew his sword quietly out of its scabbard.

Suddenly, Isaac jolted awake and his blue eyes fixated on the sword hanging above him. It plunged through the air towards him. He let out a terrified yell and rolled sideways, leaping off the bed as the tip of the sword shot through the mattress.

Alex let out a soft curse and struggled to pull the sword back out, severely weakened by the loss of blood. It had taken quite some energy to plunge the sword down so fast. He managed to dislodge it and sought out his prey, only to find him slamming a heavy object into his head.

Isaac tossed the object up in the air and caught it again, glowering at the man lying across the floor. Why did Alex have to resort to such petty, vile methods? Well, he was severely injured and now captured so he could receive the punishment he deserved at last.

An hour later, Alex was tied securely to a post in the plaza and awaiting the verdict on his punishment. The villagers walked around and jeered at him, treating him with contempt. They all knew of the evil things he had committed- kidnap and attempted murder. Nothing had been said of what he did with Felix of course.

Alex showed no fear or remorse. He simply lay against the pole, grinning demonically. He did not fear death, in fact a part of him welcomed it. He would be free from this burden and suffering, the madness that consumed his soul.

Mia had actually spoken to him. Alex was impressed considering that he could tell Mia loathed him so much there wasn't any room for more contempt. She hadn't said much though, simply that she hated him for everything and wanted him to burn in hell. Her eyes, those sapphires filled with malice, they had been simply beautiful.

Garet hadn't said a thing to Alex. Well, he looked like he wanted to punch him, but Isaac, who had been with him at the time, had cautioned him against it. Alex was apparently already so severely injured that any further abrasions might be fatal and he could not receive the decided punishment. Apparently the mayor's grandson could not deliver his own punishment after all.

"What is going through that mind of yours, Alex?" Jenna asked him, her eyes blazing with cold fury. "Why do you want to kill and hurt everyone so much?"

"I don't know," Alex answered. "I just hate everything. And I am not scared to die either. In fact, I look forwards to it."

"You deserve it," Jenna said no more and walked away.

Felix was one of the last people to speak to Alex before the punishment was decided. "I remember everything you did now," He shook with rage and grief. "You made me do all those stupid things like kissing her... and hurting her... pestering her until she was in tears! How could you make me do those things to my sister?"

"Oh, so you remember everything that happened now?" Alex smiled calmly. "I'm sure it was quite a shock when you realised what I used you for."

"I wish I hadn't even remembered anything you made me do now," Felix said in disgust. "I just think you're a sick monster and deserve what you get!"

"That's what she said too," Alex spoke to him. "Jenna is certainly very strong spirited indeed. Even after all that torture she suffered, she only managed to reach the brink of madness. Just a little more and she might have been broken entirely but then things started to fall apart. What a shame indeed. And you were so obedient as well."

"I hate you for what you did to her," Felix gritted his teeth. He wanted to beat Alex to a pulp right then, but no, he wasn't allowed to. "And what you used me for... I just don't understand you at all. I depise you, Alex." He turned and walked away.

Alex rolled his eyes slightly, exasperated at how everybody was saying the same thing. He knew they all hated him, why did they even bother to tell him so? It was quite repetitive and he was indeed getting bored of this.

Eventually, the judgment was passed. Alex smiled unflinchingly as the villagers approached him, gripping large stones in their hands. The Mayor declared that Alex was to be sentenced to death by stoning.

When the first stone fell, Alex did not care. He merely glanced at the cut it left behind, his smile widening at the sight of blood welling up and beginning to drip down. The stones fell in a furious hail, cutting and tearing into his body. Alex welcomed the dizzying faint that washed over him and then he felt no more.

Once he fainted, the stones soon ceased. The villagers began to disperse, but some remained behind to kick and punch him as he hung near death. Eventually, Alex's pulse faded away and he was declared dead. Some men took him off the pole and they gave him a burial in the cemetery at the corner of Vale. However, his grave was left unmarked.

Isaac stood by the small cemetery, feeling a surge of relief mixed with a hint of sadness. He did not like to see death before his eyes, even if it was the man who had been out to kill him. However, Alex was now dead and they could truly relax without worry. Isaac noticed a familiar figure kneeling on the earth next to a patch of brown soil and walked over.

"Mia," Isaac spoke, causing her to look up. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm paying my last respects," Mia glanced at the bare soil that was the only indication of Alex's grave. "In his last moments of life, he may have been a deranged madman, but he was once a kind and gentle person and that is the Alex I choose to remember and grieve for. I feel sadness at the change that took over him and I wish more than anything that it had never happened, that he could just have stayed the same... why couldn't he?" Her voice broke and she swallowed a sob.

Isaac kneeled next to Mia and put an arm around her shaking body. She sniffled and leaned against him for support, unable to drag her eyes from the horrifying patch of earth. Someone who had once been a close friend, only to become an enemy, was dead and buried in the cold ground by her feet.

Further away, Ivan also sat alone, gripping his knees to his chest and trembling. He stared fixedly at the ground, his eyes wide. He barely noticed Sheba say his name as she sat next to him.

"Are you okay?" Sheba asked, frowining at the sight of his pale complexion. "You really don't look too good, Ivan."

"I couldn't watch it," Ivan choked out, traumatised by the memory fresh in his mind. "I watched for nearly a minute, but then I couldn't anymore. It was horrifying to see, all those stones hitting and breaking him... it was so violent, so vicious... and they were all working together, fuelled by hate, striking him..."

"Yes, I couldn't watch for very long either," Sheba shook her head. "It must have taken a lot of guts to throw just one stone. They were angry, that's what fuelled them to do it. If they hadn't been angry, if they hadn't even known what Alex tried to do, I don't think they would have stoned him. Jailed him possibly."

"Do you think they felt anything?" Ivan glanced up at her. "When they cast the stones, did they feel anything for helping take a man's life?"

"I don't know," Sheba shook her head. "But I was angry at Alex. Because of him, Felix could have died. Jenna felt a lot of pain. Isaac also nearly got killed. Piers and I nearly got dragged into Alex's little scheme. I think we were all angry at him."

"Yes, I was angry too, but still I couldn't stand to watch him die," Ivan smiled hesitantly. "But I think that's a good thing."

"Yeah," Sheba agreed, leaning back and relaxing against the tree, her eyes half closing. "I do think that's a good thing."

Felix sat at the edge of the river, the sound of water rushing past soothing his turbulent emotions. He looked up as he heard soft footsteps and flashed a quick smile at Piers as he sat besides him before looking back at the sparkling water.

"I don't know how you feel," Piers watched a fish slipping through the shallows, rays of sun dancing off its brightly decorated scales. "But I feel relieved. Alex was nothing more than a nuisance from the start."

"I feel relieved too," Felix's forehead furrowed with frown lines. "But I just can't understand what possessed him to do such a thing."

"There is simply no reasoning behind what he did," Piers turned his amber gaze on the Venus Adept. "It's all over now, Felix, there's nothing to worry about."

"I just wish I could understand," Felix mused, his eyes meeting with Piers's as he turned his head. "But no matter how hard I think about it, it just doesn't make any sense. I suppose it never will. Alex... he completely changed."

"You seem unhappy about that." Piers noted, tilting his head.

"He used to be a good person," Felix sighed and glanced downwards, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Even though Alex was such a mysterious person, he was close to my age and he was a lot less frightening than Saturos and Menard. Sometimes I thought we could have been friends even... but then he just changed... and now I just hate him..."

"I'm so glad that's all over," Garet spoke loudly as he walked with Jenna to her house, a triumphant look on his face. "That bastard Alex totally got what he deserved."

"Yeah, he did," Jenna stopped at her front door and gripped the handle, glancing back at Garet with a smile. "He finally got punished."

"Aren't you glad?" Garet grinned. "It's all over now, we don't have to worry about anything and you can just forget about all that stuff that happened!"

"Yeah, of course," Jenna said quietly, her gaze flickering away briefly. Sure, Alex was dead and the whole ordeal was over, but getting over everything wasn't going to be that simple. Still, she had to try. "Everything's over."


End file.
